MMPMEGY 
XiLAINED 




Book t^Ji 

CopyiigM N" 



COH(RiGHT DEPOSflV 



PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 
A Series of Fifty-two Studies 

for the Individual, the Class and the Home 
BY 

GEORGE H. PATCH 



^'And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; 
whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp 
shining in a dark place . . . 

^' For no prophecy of Scripture ever came by the will of 
man: but men spake from God, being moved by the 
Holy Spirit." (2 Pet. 1:17-21). 



NEW YORK 

THE CHRISTIAN HERALD 

BIBLE HOUSE 



Pi 



Copyright, 1921 
By The Christian Herald 



NOV 23 1921 



g)CI.A627877 



PREFACE 

OuE first Course of Study in Prophecy, 
of wliich this book is a revision, was pre- 
pared in response to the request of a class 
of young people. 

Knowing that many sects and ^^ isms'' 
have had their origin in human theories and 
methods of interpretation, I determined, 
while giving every writer on prophecy a re- 
spectful hearing, not to blindly follow any 
man's theories, nor accept any man's con- 
clusions, without careful search of the 
Scriptures for confirmation. My own the- 
ories and beliefs must also be subjected to 
the same testing, and conclusions drawn 
only in the light of the most evident mean- 
ing of the Word, without prejudice of any 
kind. 

We cannot avoid having theories if we do 
our own thinking. Spirit-filled men have 
divergent theories. We cannot follow them 
all. But we can have the Spirit's guidance 
to all needful truth, if we ask for it, in our 
own study of His Word. 



iv PREFACE 

I must confess that this process has com- 
pelled me to relinquish some teachings to 
which I had long held, and to accept in their 
stead other concepts. These lessons are con- 
structed accordingly: but every one who 
uses them is urged to carefully search the 
Scriptures, ^Svhether these things are so/^ 
and also to compare these findings with the 
conclusions of other writers, and be fully 
persuaded in his own mind. 

No prophecy can be perfectly understood 
in all its details before it is fulfilled. It was 
so written, evidently, to incite us to earnest 
study, and to give us thereby a deeper in- 
sight into God's great purposes, and pre- 
pare us to labor together with Him intelli- 
gently ; and not to satisfy idle curiosity con- 
cerning future events. We can afford to 
disagree on minor details of interpretation, 
if we can get a comprehensive vision of the 
eternal purposes of God concerning his 
creatures. 

The design in these studies is to furnish 
some of the most important texts bearing on 
the subjects treated, with questions to draw 
out the meanings, and spaces for written 
answers. The accompanying notes are made 
up largely of quotations and condensations 



PREFACE V 

from the writings of such men as C. I. Sco- 
field, J. A. Seiss, Jas. H. Brooks, L. W. 
Munhall, R. A. Torrey, Jas. M. Gray, Mark 
A. Matthews, John Urquhart, W. E. Black- 
stone, AVm. Pettingill, W. C. Stevens, Geo. 
C. Needham, A. C. Gaebelein, C. G. Trmn- 
bull, G. Campbell Morgan, Bullinger, and 
others. The Author has been greatly as- 
sisted in the work of this compilation by 
Miss J. B. Patch. 

G. H. P. 



METHODS OF STUDY 

To BE Applied ix. Both Home and 
Class Woek 

If possible, the lesson should be carefully 
studied at home, and answers neatly written 
out for all the questions, after looking up 
the required Bible passage for each answer. 

Then the lesson notes should^be read ; and 
notes and questions to be used in class, 
written neatly on any available marginal 
space where they will catch the eye when 
wanted. This should be done by all mem- 
bers of the class, as well as by the teacher, 
or leader, and additional notes jotted down, 
as the items are discussed or answered. 

Class records may be kept, final exami- 
nations held, and standings marked, if 
desired. 

A less desirable method is that of class 
study, as distinguished from home study. 
The reference passages may be given to the 
members of the class, when assembled, and 
called for, one at a time, by number. The 

vii 



Tiii METHODS OF STUDY 

person reading the passage should then 
formulate a short, concise answer to the 
question, which may be submitted to the 
class for amendment, and, when satisfac- 
tory, written in each member's book. The 
lesson notes may be read in connection with 
this study, or immediately afterward. 

This method requires the use of Bibles in 
the class, which is commendable ; but is not 
as rapid a method as the first, making it 
difficult to properly cover a lesson in the 
usual time allowed for class recitations. It 
is an interesting method for special classes, 
or mid-week meetings where sufficient time 
can be given, or for Bible readings. 



CONTENTS 



PART ONE. INTRODUCTORY, THE THEME AND 
PERSONNEL OF PROPHECY 

LESSON PAGE 

1. Life. The Great Theme of the Bible 1 

2. Satan. The Destroyer 9 

3. The Holy Spirit. Author of Prophecy 16 

4. Jesus. Prophet, Priest, and King 22 

5. The Prophets, Through Whom God Spoke 28 

6. Israel. The Chosen People 35 

7. The Church of Christ. His Bride 45 

8. The Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Heaven ... 52 

9. The King. King of Israel; King of Kings 60 

PART TWO. SOME FULFILLED PROPHECIES 

10. Tyre and Sidon 68 

11. Egypt 75 

12. Broken Vows 82 

13. Israel's Idolatry 89 

14. Israel in Exile 96 

15. Israel's Enemy 103 

16. The Death Blow 110 

17. The First Advent 117 

18. The Final Dispersion 125 

ix 



X CONTEXTS 

PART THREE. WORLD EMPIRES 

LESSON PAGE 

19. A Great Dream 141 

20. Four Great Beasts 147 

21. The Ram and the He-Goat 154 

22. The First Beast Slain 161 

23. The Seventy Sevens 168 

24. Daniel's Great Vision 174 

25. Antiochus Epiphanes 181 

26. The Time of the End 188 

PART FOUR. THE JUDGMENT DA Y 

27. The Day of Jehovah 201 

28. Jesus the Judge 207 

29. Letters from Jesus 214 

30. The Laodicean Church 221 

31. A Vision in Heaven 228 

32. The Seven-Sealed Roll 235 

33. The Conqueror Crowne^ . 243 

34. The End of the Age 250 

35. Separations and Sealings 259 

36. The Seventh Seal Opened 270 

37. The First and Second Woes 278 

38. The Challenge 286 

39. Joy in Heaven 296 

40. The Closed Door 306 

41. A Great Sign 315 

42. The Two Beasts 325 

43. The Lamb on Mount Zion 334 



CONTEXTS xi * 

lesson page 

44. The Seven Last Plagues 343 

45. The Great Harlot 353 

46. Babylon the Great 363 

47. King of Kings and Lord of Lords 373 

PART FIVE. THE MILLENNIAL AGE 

48. The Repentant Wife 388 

49. Millennial Thrones 398 

50. Millennial Palestine 407 

PART SIX. AGES OF AGES 

5L The Final Consummation 423 

52. The New Jerusalem 434 



PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Part One 
LESSONS ONE TO NINE 

INTEODUCTORY 

The Theme and Personnel of Prophecy. 
Its Source and Purpose. 

LESSON ONE 

Life; the Geeat Theme of the Bible 

The relation of prophecy to life. The origin 
of life; the development of life. The 
life that is "m Adam:^' the life that is 
^4n Christ.^' Flesh life. Spirit life. 
Jesus says: 

I am come that tTiey may have life, and may have 
it abundantly. In Him was life, and the life was 
the light of men. (John.) 



2 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Classing reading: Jn. 1: 1-18 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

(Spaces between questions are for written answers) 

1. Who imparted life to the world? Gen. 
1:2. 

2. What were God's commissions to the 
earth? Gen. 1:11, 24. 

3. What to the waters? Gen. 1:20. 

4. How was life given to man ? Gen. 2 :7, 
Job 33:4. 

5. What kind of life was possible to him? 
Gen. 2:9, 3:22. 

6. How was it forfeited, and how was he 
then prevented from securing it ? Gen. 
3:1-8, 23, 24. 

7. Who has made a new life possible ? Jn. 
1:12. 



LESSON NUMBER ONE 3 

8. What is he called iu Acts 3:15? In 1 
Cor. 15:45? 

9. What distinctions between the two 
Adams are made in Yer. 45-49? 

10. Where is the life of the flesh? Lev. 
17:11, 14. 

11. What does 1 Cor. 15 :50-52 say of flesh 
and blood? 

12. Of what is the new creation not born, 
and of what is it born ? Jn. 1 :13 and 3 :5. 

13. What was in Jesus ^ resurrection body, 
and where was his blood? Lu. 24:39, 
Jn. 19:34, Mk. 14:24, 1 Pet. 1:18, 19. 

14. What corresponds to blood in the new 
life? Jn. 4:14 and 7:38, 39. 

15. What is freely offered in Rev. 7:17, 
21:6,22:17? 

16. What has Jesus only? 1 Tim. 6:16. 



4 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

17. Is this obtainable from him ? Rom. 2 :6, 

7 (A. v.). 

18. When will it be given ? 1 Cor. 15 :51-53. 

19. Who will have right to the tree of life ? 
Rev. 22 :14. 

20. What is the final great invitation ? Rev. 
22:17. 

NOTES 

1. The beginning of life on the earth has greatly 
puzzled those scientists who seek for its source in 
nature alone, and reject its supernatural beginning. 
They are confined to the theory of self evolved life. 
But life could never create itself. God may have used 
older types into which he introduced new life, in his 
creations. Natural selection could not do this. 

The first act of God after creating the world was 
to endow it with life. Gen. 1 :2 says (A. E. V. Mar- 
gin), ^^The Spirit of God tvas brooding upon the face 
of the waters." Verse 20 says, ^'And God said. Let 
the waters hring forth ahundantly the moving creature 
that hath life/^ Geology shows that the primal waters 
did ^^ swarm with swarms of living creatures'' of sim- 
ple structure. 

When God would bless the world with his final and 
greatest creation, the ^^life that is in Christ/^ the angel 



LESSON NUMBER ONE 5 

told Mary ''The Holy Spirit shsill come y)'pon thee . . . 
wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall 
be called the Son of God/' Nicodemus was told, ^^ Ex- 
cept one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot 
enter into the kingdom of God. ' ' 

There seems to be an analogy between these first and 
last creations, in the agency of the Spirit and water; 
and also a suggestion as to God's method in progres- 
sive creations, from day to day through the age-long 
days (2 Pet. 3:8), until He breathed into a physical 
form ^^the breath of life; and man hecame a living 
soul." (Gen. 2:5.) 

2. John 1 :12 says that to those who receive Christ 
is given ^'the right to become children of God"; but 
it is the Spirit of God who actually imparts that new 
life to a man. He is the Life-giver ; and since this last 
and greatest creation is accomplished by the Spirit's 
impartation of a new life to an existing creature, man, 
and since man hecame a living soul by a similar in- 
breathing of life, it may be inferred that this was 
God's method in all intermediate creations of life- 
types. 

3. The Bible, written by God-inspired men, tells 
very briefly of the facts, but not of the metlwds of 
ereation. ^^ God's other book" — written on tablets of 
stone, engraved with His finger, illustrated with 
pressed specimens of the fauna and flora of long past 
ages, is His own record of the progressive stages of 
life-creations. Rom. 1 :19, 20 even cites this record 
for '^that which may he known of God . . . even his 
eternal power and God-head." 

Professor Melvin Grove Kyle says: ^^A footprint 



6 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

may tell much. In the strata of earth's crust, foot- 
prints have recorded the story of flocks and herds and 
droves of countless ages gone. They tell us of horrid 
monsters which lived and ravened long before man 
was created. They afford material to the skilled 
naturalist out of which he may reconstruct forgotten 
ages, and picture for us a world upon which the eye 
of man never looked. They do, indeed, something 
infinitely greater and grander and better than this, 
they fill in the details of that account of creation that 
is written in a few verses at the beginning of Genesis, 
and illumine that account with pictures of God's 
strange handiwork from the beginning until now, 
... At last we realize through these footprints in 
stone that we have come to look upon the footprints 
of God.'' 

4. The Bible only refers to the lower types of life 
incidentally ; and of spirit beings, good and evil, only 
as they influence the life of man and his flnal destiny. 
It is mainly the Adam life, specialized in Israel, and 
the life that is in Christ, the last Adam, transmitted 
to his Church, of which it treats in history and 
prophecy. 

5. There are fundamental differences between 
human life and Christ life. ^^The first man Adam 
became a living soul. The last Adam a life-giving 
Spirit . . . the first is psychical (Greek) ; then that 
which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, 
earthy; the second man is of heaven. '' (1 Cor. 
15:45-50.) That which is born of flesh is flesh; and 
that which is born of Spirit is spirit. (Jn. 3:6.) In 
Adam all die. In Christ all are made alive. Flesh 



LESSON NUMBER ONE 7 

and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 
Corruption cannot inherit incorruption. Man must 
be *' begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of 
incorruptible/' There must be a new life imparted 
hy the Spirit^ transforming the inward character, 
and, at the resurrection, transforming the body into 
the likeness of his glorious body. ^'When Christ, our 
life^ shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him 
be manifested in glory." (Col. 3:4.) ^^For this 
corruptible must put on incorruptiony and this mortal 
must put on infimortality/' This transformation is 
called a neiv creation in 2 Cor. 5:17 and GaL 6:15. 
'^Ye are an elect"— ''^eno^'' (Greek— 2 Pet. 2:9). 
Darwin was wrong. Natural selection cannot produce 
a new genus. Only God can do this. 

6. Lev. 17 :11, 14 says that the life of all flesh is 
in the blood. Many a man is proud of his ^ ^ blood. " 
But it is only the blood of Adam, corrupted, at best. 
"When Jn. 1:13 says the new birth is ^^not of blood" 
— the symbol of flesh-life — Adam is disclaimed as the 
father of this new race. 

The ancients spoke of the belly as we speak of the 
heart. The heart is the fountain out of which the 
life-blood flows through the body. In the new crea- 
tion, that water which Christ offered in Jn. 4:10, 
14 and 7:38, 39 becomes the life symbol, ^'flowing out 
of the belly," ^^in him a well of water springing up 
unto eternal life. ' ' Life-blood in the genus Anthropos, 
Living water in the genus Christos. 1 Cor. 12 ; 13 — 
'^For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body 
. . . and were all made to drink of one Spirit/' 

The final great invitation of the Bible is to this 



8 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

water of life free to all who will take of it. This 
is the climax toward which all history and all 
prophecy are moving — the attainment of life in God's 
eternal Kingdom. To make this life possible to 
man, Christ died. 

7. Jn. 7:39 says: ^^But this spake he of the Spirit^ 
which they that believed on him were to receive: 
for the Spirit was not yet given; 'because Jesiis ivas 
not yet glorified.' ' After he was glorified (Jn. 12:23) 
he appeared to his disciples and ''hreatJied on them, 
and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.'^ 
(Jn. 20:22.) This act seems to signify the imparta- 
tion to the disciples of this water of life, which they 
were to receive — the passing on to them of the life 
that is in Christ, whereby they were ^^made partakers 
of the divine nature." This was not the baptism of 
the Spirit. That occurred at Pentecost. As a child, 
Jesus was hegotten of the Spirit. He was baptized 
of the Spirit after he became a man. In his glorified 
state. His deity is manifested in His power to in- 
breathe this new life into His disciples. (Titus 
3:5,6.) 

Use the margins and vacant spaces for jotting down ques- 
tions to asJc in class, and for maMng notes in class. Do not 
scribble^ but write neatly. 



LESSON TWO 

Satan, the Destroyek 

The arch-enemy of God and man ; his pres- 
ent poAver as world ruler, ^^the god of 
this world/' ^Hhe prince of the power 
of the air''; an outline of his career 
to his dethronement and final fate, as 
foretold in prophecy. 

And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as 
lightning from heaven. (Jesus.) 

How art thou fallen from heaven, day-star, son 
of the morning. (Isaiah.) 

Class reading: Mt. 4:1-10 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

(Be sure to look up these passages and write 
answers in tlie spaces) 

1. Did Michael treat Satan \Yith scorn, or 
as the caricature of a superstition? 
Jude 9. 



10 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. Did Jesus consider him an insignificant 
foe? Class reading. 

3. What reply did Satan make to Jehovah 
in Job 1 :7 i 



4. What \^7ii'ni]ig is given in 1 Pet. 5 :8 ? 



5. What is he called in Mk. 3:22-24, and 
vho are mentioned as his subjects? 

6. What is he called in Eph. 2:2? 

7. Where are Satan and his hosts? Eph. 
6:12. 

8. What is necessary to withstand him? 
Yer. 11 and 18. 

9. What is he called in 2 Cor. 4:3, 4? 

10. What unchallenged claim did he make 
to Jesus ? Lu. 4 :5, 6. 

11. What did Jesus call him in Jn. 14:30? 

12. What is said of the whole world in Jn. 
5:19? 



LESSON NUMBER TWO 11 

13. Why was the Son of God manifested? 
IJn. 3:8. 

14. What shall be done w^ith this prince? 
Jn. 12 :31. 

15. How are w^e assured of this 1 Jn. 16 :11. 

16. Name tw^o of his characteristics. Jn. 
8:44. 

17. What was Satan's first lie to man, and 
what will be his last deception? Gen. 
3 :l-5, Rev. 20 :7, 8. 

18. What has thus passed to all men ? Rom. 
5 :12. 

19. By w^hat means did he bring death into 
the world ? Rom. 6 :23 ; Gen. 3 :l-6. 

20. What are w^e by nature, ^4n Adam''? 
Eph. 2 :2, 3. 

21. How^ is his power of death destroyed? 
Heb. 2:14. 



12 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 



NOTES 

1. Some people say there is no devil. Nothing 
suits him better than this. He can work best incog- 
nito. He caused man's downfall disguised as a 
serpent. He is always in disguise, frequently as an 
angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:14.) Many who believe in 
his existence, do not consider him of much importance. 
He is most often pictured in some ridiculous form^ 
with hideous face, horns, hoofs and forked tail — a 
mere caricature. He is never so represented in the 
Bible, but always as a powerful enemy — ^^a roaring 
lion, seeking whom he may devour." He is the 
serpent-lion: Christ is the Lamb-Lion. The first 
prophecy of the Bible is, ''The seed of tJie woman 
(which is Christ, Gal. 3:16) sJiall bruise tJiy head^ 
and thou shalt bruise his heeV — a prediction of the 
struggle which should continue until Satan is de- 
throned and Christ takes his place as the ruler of 
the world. 

2. The Bible makes no positive statement as to the 
origin of Satan, but there are passages from which 
much is inferred. Eze. 28 :11-19, although written 
of the King of Tyre, is supposed to be an allegorical 
description of Satan. Verse 14 could not refer to 
any man. ^^Thou wast the anointed cherub that 
covereth : and I set thee so : thou wast upon the holy 
mountain of God.'' Cherubim were stationed about 
the garden of Eden, forbidding entrance, after Adam 
was expelled. Prophets had visions in which 



LESSON NUMBER TWO 13 

cherubim surrounded the presence of God, guarding 
approach to him. Cherubim were embroidered upon 
the veil before the Holy of Holies, God's throne-room 
in the temple, forbidding entrance. This was rent 
from top to bottom when Christ died. Two cherubs 
of solid gold spread their wings as a covering above 
the ark, forbidding all approach into the presence of 
the supernatural light beneath them — the Shekinah — 
representing God upon his throne over his people — 
except by the high priest, with blood, once a year. 
This suggests the very exalted position occupied by 
Satan before his fall — one nearest to God. Michael 
the Archangel durst not bring against Satan a railing 
judgment. He recognized Satan as of higher rank 
than himself. He was '^ Perfect in Beauty/' but 
pride ruined him. 

3. "When God created Adam, he commissioned him 
to ^^ replenish the earth'' (which suggests that it had 
previously been populated, but was now depopulated 
— perhaps as a consequence of Satan's revolt. How 
could it otherwise be replenished?) ^^and siibdue it; 
and have dominion over . . . every living thing." 

Adam might have eaten of the tree of life and 
secured eternal life ; he might have evicted, with God's 
help, the rebellious tyrant, and succeeded Satan in 
the government of the world. But the wily serpent 
secured his downfall and so extended his own rule 
until the Last Adam should accomplish what the 
first Adam failed to do; and also redeem the first 
Adam and his posterity. 

The great hulk of Bible prophecy has to do with the 
processes by ivhich God accomplishes these results. 



14 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

The revolted world is to be restored to the Kingdom 
of God. 

4. Satan accomplished Adam's downfall by entic- 
ing him through appetite to unbelief and disloyalty 
toward God. He tried to accomplish Jesus' down- 
fall by the same means, when He was exceedingly 
hungry from long fasting. Failing in this, and his 
temptation to presumption, he applied his supreme 
test by an offer to abdicate Ms throne on a seemingly 
trivial condition. But Jesus, begotten of God, bap- 
tized with His Spirit, was invincible, and Satan was 
defeated. 

Nothing can now prevent Jesus from carrying out 
his program of redemption, securing the unconquer- 
able allegiance of his subjects, and evicting the re- 
bellious prince. 

5. Physical death was in the animal w^orld long 
before Adam was created. Adam might have become 
exempt from it by eating of the tree of life. But the 
havoc of his sin was far worse than mere physical 
death. ^^ Physical death is the separation of the soul 
from the body. Spiritual death is the separation of 
the soul from God. The second death is the lake of 
fire.'' Adam's sin brought him and his race into a 
state of spiritual death, and made them liable, unless 
born again, to the second death. 

In redeeming man, Jesus not only suffered physical 
death, but when he made ^'his soul an offering for 
sin" (Isa. 53:10) he tasted death for every man. 
(Heb. 2:9.) It was this separation from God that 
made him cry out, ''My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me." It was the anticipation of this that 



LESSON NUMBER TWO 15 

caused his agony in the garden — for he had said, 
*^Fear not them that kill the body, but are not able 
to kill the soul/' (Mt, 10:28.) 

By his death he paid the penalty for man's sin, and 
made physical resurrection and spiritual life possible 
for him. 



LESSON THREE 

The Holy Spirit 

As the Author of Prophecy. The means 
and methods by which His messages 
are conveyed to men^ and the impor- 
tance of such messages from such a 
source. 

For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: 
but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy 
Spirit. (Peter.) 

Class reading: 1 Cor. 12:1-11 and 27-31. 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

{Study tJie lessons at homey and write answers under 

all questions) 

1. Who is the Holy Spirit ? Mt. 28:19. 

2. What is never forgiven? Mt. 12:31, 32. 

3. Why should we yield to his guidance 

16 



LESSON NUMBER THREE 17 

and listen to his declarations? Jn. 
16:13. 

4. Whom does he thus glorify? Jn. 16:14. 

5. How does the Holy Spirit speak to us ? 
Acts 1:16; 3:18; 4:25. 

6. By whom did Jesus say that David 
spoke? Mk. 12:36. 

7. Who did he say would speak in Mk. 
13:11? 

8. What was said of Jesus in Deut. 
18:18,19? 

9. How does Ezra 1:1 say Jehovah's word 
came? 

10. Whose words did all the prophets claim 
to speak? Isa. 16:13, 14; 24:3; 28:14; 
39:5; Jer. 2:1; 5:14; 11:1, and many 
others. 

11. What did Jehovah say in Isa. 51:16; 
59:21,andin Jer. 1:9, 10? 



18 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. What does 2 Clir. 36:22 say of this? 

13. Who did Agabus say spoke in Acts 
21:10,11? 

14. What did Zacharias do when filled with 
the Holy Spirit? Lu. 1:67. 

15. What occurred at Ephesus, according to 
Acts 19:6? 

16. Who spoke through Isaiah according to 

Acts 28:25? 

17. What is said of the Holy Spirit in Heb. 
10:15? 

18. What did 70 elders do (Num. 11:25, 26) 
and Saul (1 Sam. 10:10) when the 
Spirit came upon them ? 

19. Were prophets always good men ? ISTum^ 
24:1-4 with 2 Pet' 2:15, 16; 1 Sam^ 
19:18-24. 

20. If the prophecies of the Bible are the 
words of the Holy Spirit, what should 
we do ? 2 Pet. 1 :19-21 ; 1 Thess. 5 :19, 20. 



LESSON NUMBER THREE 19 

NOTES 

1. Wlien men scoff at the prophecies of the Bible, 
they virtually scoff at the Holy Spirit ; for, as the 
passages included in this lesson amply prove, the 
prophecies of both 0. T. and N. T. claim to be his 
words. The claim is fully substantiated by the en- 
dorsement of Jesus, and by the literal fulfilments of 
many prophecies in his own life. 

There are many other passages, not cited in this 
lesson, which ratify the claim of the Holy Spirit as 
the author of the prophecies of the Bible. The 
prophecies therefore must have been verbally in- 
spired. That all other portiv^'ns of the Bible are also 
inspired is equally evident. 

Dr. I. M. Haldeman w^rites in Tlie Sunday School 
Times: ^^That the Bible claims to be inspired, God- 
breathed, and in the nature of the case, infallible 
Avord of God ought to be beyond the possibility of 
doubt by anyone even only measurably acquainted 
with the Book. The Apostle Paul voices the claim in 
his declaration to Timothy that all Scripture is given 
by inspiration of God (2 Tim. 3:16). It should seem 
like downright folly or the blindness of an over- 
balanced partisanship to discuss at all to what 
^Scripture' the Apostle refers. ... In all the w^orld 
nothing is more conclusive of the fact of Bible claim 
to inspiration than the wondrous Sunday afternoon 
walk to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) and the climacteric 
Sunday evening meeting in the upper room at Jeru- 
salem (vs. 36-49). In those interviews the Christ of 
God positivizes the Bible from Genesis to Malachi as 



20 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

written of Himself and announces that He is the 
unique and personal Key to its understanding. . . . 

''That the Son of God anticipatively, and the 
Apostle Paul corroboratively, proclaim the inspira- 
tion of the Old Testament, and by so doing both rep- 
resent it as claiming inspiration for itself, should be 
self-evident. Add to this the nearly two thousand 
times in which these Scriptures openly affirm them- 
selves to be the 'Word of God,' the 'Word of the 
Lord,' and the proposition that the Scriptures of 
Israel claim to be the inspired Word of God is un- 
assailable. 

"That the New Testament through its representa- 
tives makes the same claim, is equally and as easily 
demonstrable. 

"Fourteen of the epistles are written by the 
Apostle Paul. He testifies that what he writes to the 
Thessalonians, and in principle what he writes in all 
his epistles, is to be received 'not as the word of men, 
but,^ as it is in truth, the Word of God.' (1 Thess. 
2:13). 

' ' What he testifies of his own writings Paul equally 
affirms of the writings of the other apostles. In his 
letter to the Ephesians he says truth not heretofore 
known has now been revealed to the 'holy apostles 
and prophets by the Spirit.' (Eph. 3:5.) In this 
he is in accord with the Son of God, who assured 
these very apostles that when they should speak (and 
therefore when they should write) it would not be 
themselves, but, as he said, 'the Spirit of your Father 
which speaketh in you.' (Matt. 10:2.)" 

2. The Spirit of God is not a mere "holy influence." 



LESSON NUMBER THREE 21 

'^God is Spirit'^— and the Holy Spirit is God. After 
inspiring the 0. T. writers to write their histories and 
prophecies and odes, and after the Son of God had 
made the great Sacrifice, which w^as the price of the 
world's redemption, and had ascended on high, He, 
God the Spirit, descended to earth and is now per* 
sonally supervising the fulfilment of the great chain 
of prophetic utterances which are to eventuate in the 
kingdom of God on earth, with Jesus enthroned. 

3. It is evident from the lesson passages that God 
can use any man as his mouth-piece, good or bad, 
as He sees fit. All that is necessary is that the Spirit 
of God. take possession of him. Balaam wanted to 
curse Israel, but was compelled to bless him. Even 
his dumb ass was made to speak. Saul's messengers, 
sent to arrest David, and Saul himself, when he fol- 
lowed them, were compelled to prophesy when the 
Spirit of God came upon them. So Caiaphas the 
high priest prophesied that Jesus should die for the 
nation: ^*and not for the nation only, but that he 
might also gather together into One the Children of 
God that are scattered abroad.'' But these men did 
not write the Bible. Prophecy never came by the 
will of man: ^^but holy men of God spake as they 
were moved by the Holy Spirit." 

4. It is a matter for rejoicing that all who are born 
of the Spirit are entitled to His baptism and inspira- 
tion for service. According to 1 Cor. 12, this seems 
to put such into the same class with prophets, even 
though the Spirit's gift to such may be any other 
enumerated in that chapter than the gift of prophecy. 
'^But desire earnestly the greater gifts/' 



LESSON FOUR 

Jesijs as Peophet^ Priest, and King 

The greatest of prophets, the Great High 
Priest, and the King of Kings. 

In these three offices, and as the Lamb of 
God, the Redeemer, and in other as- 
pects, He is the central figure of all 
prophecy. 

And beginning from Moses and from all tJie 
prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures 
the things concerning himself/^ (Luke.) 

Class reading: Mt. 24:1-14 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

Jesus as Peophet 

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners 
spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his 
Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by 
whom also he made the worlds." Heb. 1:1-2. 

22 



LESSON NUMBER FOUR 23 

1. How did Grod speak to Moses I Num. 
12:6-8. 

2. What prediction did lie make in Deut. 
18 :15, 18, 19, and who fulfilled it? Acts 
3:20-23. 

3. What did the woman of Samaria per- 
ceive? Jn. 4:19. 

4. What spread his fame as a prophet? 
Lu. 7:15-17. 

5. What further identified him as the pre- 
dicted prophet? Jn. 6:13, 14. 

6. What was he called in Mt. 21:10, 11? 
Mk. 6:4? 

7. What would not the Pharisees believe 
him to be? Jn. 7:47-52. 

8. What was demanded of him in Mt. 
26:67,68? 

9. What did the disciples call him in Lu. 
24:19? 



24 prophecy explained 

Jesits as Priest 

10. What did Jehovah say in Psa. 110:4? 

11. Who is this priest said to be in Heb. 
5 .4-10 and 7 :17, 21? 

12. Into what has he entered ? Heb. 6 :19, 20. 

13. For what purpose did the High priest 
enter the Holy place? Heb. 9:7. 

14. For what has Christ entered? Heb. 
9:11, 12, 24, and what did he then do? 
Heb. 8:1, 2. 

15. How long will he occupy this place of 
honor? Psa. 110:1. 

16. What is he doing? Rom. 8:34; Heb. 

7:25. 

17. With what may he be touched, and what 
may we do and find? Heb. 4:14—16. 

Jesus the King 

18. Of what people was he born king ? Mt. 
2:1,2. 



LESSON NUMBER FOUR 25 

19. What did Gabriel say God would give 
him, and what of his kingdom? Lu. 
1 :32, 33. 

20. What did the Lord say in Psa. 2 :6-9? 

21. What did Jesus say in Jn. 18 :37 ? 

22. What title was on the cross 1 Jn. 19 :19. 

23. What is he called in Rev. 19:16? 

NOTES 

1. In Israel there were three offices to which God 
elected men, and into which they were inducted by 
an anointing. These were prophet, priest, and king. 
A prophet was God's mouthpiece, making known his 
will to his people as to their present conduct and future 
destiny. He taught, or predicted, or wrought miracles, 
as God directed him. He represented God before the 
king and the people. God ^'suffered no man to do 
them wrong; Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, 
saying, Touch not mine anointed ones, and do my 
prophets no harm.'' (1 Chr. 16 :21, 22.) 

2. Priests represented tJie people before God; and 
were next in honor to the prophets. Kings were pun- 
ished for assuming the role of priest, or for entering 
into the holy precincts set apart for them. (1 Sam. 
13:8-14; 2 Chr. 26:16-21.) The High Priest had 
charge of the house of God and the worship of the 
■neople, their offerings and sacrifices. It was as the 



26 



PROPHECY EXPLAIN LiJ 



Great High Priest that Jesus offered himself — the 
Lamb without blemish — for the sins of the world. 
(Heb. 9:14, 26.) As High Priest he ascended on 
high and entered into the holy place. ''For Christ 
entered not into a holy place made with hands, . . . 
but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face 
of God for us." (Heb. 9:24.) 

3. God was Israel's king. No human king could 
rule over his people except as his deputy. (1 Sam. 
12:12, 13; Deut. 17:14, 15.) Saul lost his throne 
through disobedience. (1 Sam. 15:.;].) God then 
made David King (1 Sam. 16:1), v- later made a 
covenant with him, which is mentiiAicd in 2 Sam. 
23 :l-5, and more clearly stated in P- -9 :3, 4, 19-37. 
It is again mentioned in Psa. 132 :! 
7:17, 18. /'I have made a covenant 
I have sworn unto David my servai 
/ establish forever, and build up 
generations/^ ^^ Jehovah hath swor 
truth; He will not turn from it: C 
body luill I set upon thy throne. Ij 
keep my covenant and my testin 
teach them, their children also sr 
throne for evermore.' ' 

Upon this covenant rests the hop 
a coming King who is to reign in 
bring in everlasting peace. We av" 
the details of the carrying out of 
we progress in our studies of the p 
to this King and his kingdom. 

4. In the anointing of a prophet, ^^riest, or king, 
oil was poured upon His head. In Luke 4:18, Jesus 



2 and 2 Chr. 

rh my chosen, 

Thy seed ivill 

^hrone to all 

nto David in 

fruit of thy 

children will 

ihat I shall 

sit upon thy 

he world for 
eousness and 
or more into 
covenant as 
ccies relating 



LESSON NUMBER FOUR 27 

quoted Isa. 61:1: ''The Spirit of the Lord is upon 
me, because he anointed me to preach good tidings" 
— anointed to the office of prophet. Acts 10 :38 says 
he was anointed ivitK the Holy Spirit at his baptism. 
Baptism, then, in the N. T. signifies consecration 
to an office, as anointing did in the 0. T. "When we 
are consecrated in baptism we enter the ''Royal 
priesthood'' of 1 Pet. 2:9. Jesus said, in Lu. 12:50, 
^'I have a baptism to he baptized witli.'^ This could 
not refer to his baptism with the Spirit, as that w^as 
in the past. According to Heb. 5 :9, 10, this baptism 
seems to have taken place in the garden of Geth- 
semane, where he was ''made perfect," or "qualified" 
for the office of Great High Priest, which he at once 
assumed. It may be that the sweat 'Uike great drops 
of blood" that covered his head and fell to the 
earth was the outward sign of this baptism ; and also 
significant of the preciousness of the blessings that 
are to come upon the earth in its redemption through 
his blood. 

This baptism was his consecration to suffering for 
the atonement for sin, and was characterized by the 
most intense agony. 

Heb. 1 :8, 9, tells of his anointing as king, "with the 
oil of gladness." 

5. It was while Jesus was praying that the Holy 
Spirit descended upon him at his first baptism (Lu. 
3:21, 22), and while "/le prayed more earnestly'^ in 
his agony that "his sweat became as it were great 
drops of blood falling down upon the ground." 

Here is our example if we would be anointed for 
his service. 



LESSON FIVE 

The Prophets 

Through whom God spoke 

The great prophets of the Bible, their per- 
sonalities, the age in which they each 
lived, the nature of their messages and 
the correlation of their predictions. 

Surely the Lord Jehovah will do nothing, except 
he reveal his secret unto his servants the prophets. 
(Amos.) 

Class reading: 2 Ki. 2:1-25 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What was the first prophecy and what 
curse was pronounced, by whom and to 
whom spoken, and why? Gen. 3:14-18. 

2. Who was the first human prophet? 
Jude 14. 

28 



LESSON NUMBER FIVE 29 

3. What is twice said of him in Gen. 
5:22-24, and of Noah in 6:9? 

4. What wonderful thing did God do for 
him, and why ? Gen. 5 :24 ; Heb. 11 :5. 

5. What other prophet was translated? 
2Ki. 2:1, 11. 

6. Who did God say was a prophet in Gen. 

20:7? 

7. How was Moses different from other 
prophets? Num. 12:6-8; Ex. 33:11; 
Deut 34:10. 

8. By what three titles is Samuel men- 
tioned in 1 Sam. 9:6, 9? 

9. Who was the great poet-prophet-king 
of Israel? Mk. 12:36; Psa. 110:1. 

10. What great prophet arose in Ahab's 
time? IKl. 17:1. 

11. Who was his worthy successor? 2 Ki. 
2:15 



30 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. In whose reigns did Isaiah prophesy, 
and what other prophets were contem- 
porary with him? Isa. 1:1; Hos. 1:1; 

Amos 1 :1 ; Mic. 1 :1. 

13. In what times was Jeremiah prophesy- 
ing? Jer. 1:2, 3. 

14. What other prophet wrote in the days 
of Josiah? Zeph. 1:1. 

15. What two great prophets were among 
the captives in Babylonia? Eze. 1:1; 
Dan. 2 :17-19. 

16. What two prophets, born in captivity, 
. returned to Jerusalem ? Hag. 1 :1 ; Zech. 

1 :1 ; Ezra 5 :1. 

17. Of whom did the last O. T. Prophet 
write in Mai. 3 :1 ; 4 :5 ? Lu. 1 :63, 67, 76. 

18. What did Jesus say of him, and who are 
greater than he? Lu. 7:26-28. 

19. Name other N. T. prophets. Acts 11 :27 ; 
13:1; 15:32. 

20. What two men received special revela- 
tions? 2 Cor. 12:1-7: Rev. 1:1. 



LESSON NUMBER FIVE 31 

NOTES 

1. The first prophecy on record was spoken by God 
himself. It was spoken to Satan, and foretold the con- 
flict between him and Christ, the seed of the woman 
(Gal. 3:16), and which is to culminate in Satan's de- 
feat, imprisonment for 1000 years and final doom 
in the lake of fire. This prophecy may have been 
spoken in the hearing of Adam and Eve. (Gen. 
3:8-15.) God spoke to Abraham (Gen. 17:3, 22; 
18:1-33), to Moses at Mt. Sinai, and proclaimed the 
ten commandments in the hearing of the people. 
(Ex. 19:19, 20; 20:19, 22.) He spoke from heaven 
at Jesus' baptism, at his transfiguration, and in the 
hearing of the multitude in Jerusalem. (Jn. 12:28, 
29.) But ordinarily God spoke to his prophets in 
visions and dreams, or with his '^ still small voice'' in 
the inner consciousness. (Num. 12 :4-8 ; 1 Ki. 19 :12.) 

2. The first human prophet mentioned in the Bible 
was Enoch; and his prophecy was of the coming of 
the Lord with his saints to execute judgment upon 
all. These first two prophecies are synoptic of the 
course of events culminating in the ^^ Great day of 
the Lord," to which reference is frequently made in 
both 0. T. and N. T. prophecies. 

3. The great contest between God and Satan is over 
the allegiance of Adam's posterity to one or the 
other as supreme ruler. Satan uses every artifice and 
subterfuge with which it is possible to deceive man- 
kind, permanently alienate every available individual 
from God, and ally him to himself in a fealty which 
will result in his final destruction. God cannot use 



S2 -PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

these devices for winning loyal subjects, but instead 
seeks to win them by his love, manifested finally in 
the gift of his own Son to suffer the penalty due 
them, and thus draw all men unto himself . He allows 
those who come to him to be tested by the fiery darts 
of Satan in persecution and sometimes martyrdom, 
and is thus securing subjects for his coming kingdom 
whose loyalty has been tested and who will never re- 
volt, as Satan and his angels had done. 

4. Satan is too artful to pose as God in his own 
person. He leads men instead to devise gods of their 
own, but in whose service they subject themselves to 
Satan himself. Idolatry, including all false religions, 
is the sin against which all the prophets protest, and 

I which is finally to be destroyed in the destruction of 
* 'Babylon the great.'' In spite of the efforts of 
Christendom for over eighteen centuries the great 
mass of humanity is still adhering to false religions. 
But when Jesus returns to reign, all who have died 
in loyalty to him will be resurrected to reign with 
him; while those disloyal to him will not then be 
raised, and his living enemies will be slain. (Rev. 
19:21.) Satan will be bound and imprisoned, and 
Christ's millennial reign will begin, with neither 
Satan nor his subjects to molest. There will then 
be peace on earth. These are the themes on which 
the prophets wrote. 

5. There were many prophets who were raised up 
for special purposes, of which little is known. The 
greater prophets whose words and deeds are recorded 
in the Bible also had more or less specialized missions. 
The work of Elijah and Elisha was specially directed 



LESSON NUMBER FIVE 33 

against idolatry in the northern kingdom of Israel. 
Isaiah and Jeremiah, and some of the lesser prophets, 
sought to stem the tide of idolatry in the kingdom of 
Judah, and uttered the great predictions of the dis- 
persion and final regathering of all the tribes of Israel 
into one kingdom, with Messiah as king, and no more 
war or dispersions — a golden age for Israel. Ezekiel 
and Daniel were the great prophets of the dispersion. 
Ezekiel depicts the sins and abominations of Israel 
unsparingly, but breaks out again and again in joyful 
acclamations as he sees the future blessedness of 
Israel, repentant and restored to her own land. He 
pictures the future conditions in Palestine, the new 
city of Jerusalem, and the greater temple, in vivid 
detail. 

Daniel is the prophet of the times of the Gentiles, 
the latter days, the time of the end of the age. His 
visions are similar to those of John in Revelation. 
As John was the disciple whom Jesus loved, so Daniel 
was thrice told by the angel Gabriel that he was 
greatly beloved. 



34 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 


CHART No. 1 






Adam 


1 
4000 B.C. 






3500 




Enoch 


3000 




Noah 


2500 


This scale is only 




2000 


approximate, but suf- 


Abraham . . . , 




ficiently accurate for 






the purpose of asso- 






ciating the leading 


Moses 


1500 


prophets with the 






ages in which they 






lived, and for memo- 






r i z i n g consecutive 

rljitpQ ■fyrnn Arlpin to 


David 


1000 


Elijah 


Elisha 


Christ. 








Isaiah . . 


Jeremiah 




Ezekiel ...... 


Daniel 




Zechariah .... 


500 

Malachi 




John Baptist. . 


Christ 




Peter 


.....Paul 
John 



LESSON SIX 

Israel, the Chosen People 

God's methods and purposes in the produc- 
tion of a peculiar people, of the purest 
Adamic blood, selected and fixed as a 
unique type of human life, and which 
is made a party to special covenants 
with him, and the subject of wonder- 
ful prophecies. 

Thus saith Jehovah that created thee, Jacob, and 
he that fanned thee, O Israel: Fear not, . . . thou 
art mine. (Isaiah.) 

Class reading: Deut. 32:6-14 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What was God^s covenant with Abra- 
ham? Gen. 12:2, 3. 

2. What kind of nation was this to be ? Ex. 
19:3-6. 

35 



36 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. Whose were they to be, and above 
whom ? Deut. 7 :3-6 and 14 :2. 

4. How much above other nations? Deut. 
26:18,19. 

5. To what does Jehovah compare them in 
Zech. 2:8? 

6. What will God do to those who oppiess 
them? Jer. 30:20. 

(Notice the reiterations of ^^ chosen people," 
^^ peculiar treasure'' or ^'own possession/' 
and repeated warnings to any who should 
harm this people.) 

The process by which this choice people were 
produced. 

7. What was Israel told to remember and 
consider in Deut. 32 :7 ? 

8. What great honor did God confer upon 
Abram (Heb. 6:13) and what is he 
called in Isa. 41 :8. Jas. 2 :23 ? 

9. Who was Abraham's wife? Gen. 20:2 
and 12. 



LESSON NUMBER SIX 37 

10. Who was Isaac's wife, and what blood 
relation was she to him? Gen. 24:67; 
Gen. 11:29; Gen. 22:23; Gen. 24:24. 

11. How nearly were Leah and Rachel re- 
lated to Jacob? Gen. 24:29 and 29:16. 

12. Whose most remarkable birth was the 
subject of the greatest solicitude and 
divine promises in the Bible, except 
Christ's? Gen. 17:16-19; 18:10-14. 
Why? 

13. How old was his mother at that time? 
Gen. 17:17. 

14. Why did God cause this genealogy from 
Adam to Jacob, and the remarkable de- 
tails from Terah to Jacob, to be so fully 
recorded in the Bible ? See notes. Isa. 
43:1, 6, 7, 20, 21; 44:2, 21,24. 

15. Why should all life processes be re- 
garded with reverence ? Notes. 

16. What special gift of God to Israel is 
mentioned in Deut. 8 :18 ? 



38 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

17. What were they commanded not to do ? 
Deut. 7 :3. 

18. A¥hat is your attitude toward the Jews ? 

19. Why has not Israel amalgamated with 
other nations in modern times? 

20. Why has God preserved this race so 
long? 

NOTES 

1. A proper knowledge of God's chosen people, 
Israel, is fundamental to a correct understanding of 
prophecy. Chapters 5, 10 (and all following chapters 
except 13 and 14), to 32:32 of Genesis should be 
carefully read at home, and the notes also, especially 
in mixed classes. All life processes are holy. They 
are the highest manifestations of God's wisdom, good- 
ness and power, and should be considered with the 
greatest reverence. 

2. The first sentence in the 0. T. — after the four 
introductory chapters — is, ^^This is the book of the 
generations of Adam." The first sentence in the 
N. T. is, ^^The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, 
the son of David, the son of Abraham." The Holy 
Spirit has caused the genealogies of the Bible to be 
written. It is remarkable that the genealogy from 
Adam to Abraham is given in greater detail than that 



LESSON NUMBER SIX 39 

from Abraham to Christ, or any other Bible gen- 
ealogy. It is not a list of first-born sons. Seth was 
Adam's third son. Arphaxad was Shem's third son. 
There is no mention of first-borns. This is evidently 
a line of descent through a Divinely selected succes- 
sion of individuals through whom God was developing 
certain characteristics which he would perpetuate in 
a particular race of men. The process by which these 
characteristics were established and permanently fixed 
is given in even greater detail than the line of selec- 
tion. No modern scientific process for the develop- 
ment of a specific strain of plant or animal life, and 
giving it permanency, can excel the process by which 
God secured and perpetuated the characteristics of 
his ^^ chosen'' people, Israel. 

In every detail it is scientifically correct. There 
is the long line of selection, lasting in this case 2000 
years; the weeding out and destruction of the *' unfit," 
in the flood, preventing contamination from corrupt 
blood, and limiting the crossing of bloods to the 
descendants of one man, who *^ walked with God"; 
and the final process of ^^ fixation" — lasting two hun- 
dred years. There were the migrations and changes 
of climate and environment, means by which modern 
scientists secure divergent characters. These char- 
acteristics were bred into the line only after full de- 
velopment. The most striking feature of this gen- 
ealogy is the record of the age of every man, when his 
successor in line was born, and his age at death — 
neither item occurring in any other genealogy in the 
Bible — showing maturity of character, and marvelous 
longevity in each progenitor. There was the close in- 



40 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

breeding by which characters are fixed; with the ac- 
companying tendency to decline in vitality; and 
sterility, notable in Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel, and 
overcome only by divine intervention — like the inter- 
vention of tfe scientist with plants and animals. 

The line is reinvigorated by the introduction of 
outside blood for one generation — all the twelve sons 
of Jacob marrying outside of the line. All succeeding 
generations were prevented from so doing by sojourn 
in Egypt, where caste prevented ; and ever afterward 
by divine command through Moses, with severe 
penalty aiKxed for disobedience. It was by this proc- 
ess that this chosen race became established and per- 
petuated, and is still a peculiar people. 

3. The long line of chosen progenitors reached a 
climax in that prince of men, Abraham, the friend of 
God. The only woman in the world worthy to be his 
companion was his half-sister Sarah^ — so beautiful and 
queenly — so necessary in God's plans — ^that he had 
twice to warn kings not to touch her, under penalty 
of death. God pronounced special blessings on her 
as a mother of kings and nations. She is the only 
woman in the Bible whose age is recorded when her 
son was born, or at her death; and even the purchase 
of her burial-place is given in lengthy detail. 

But it was Terah, the father of this matchless pair,, 
who was used as the foundation in the process of fixa- 
tion. His other sons, Nahor and Haran, were in- 
cluded in this process. The accompanying chart in- 
dicates the process. The origin of the Ishmaelites,. 
Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites and other superior 
nations is also indicated. 



LESSON NUMBER SIX - 41 

4. No child ever born, except the Ghrist-child, was 
rthe subject of such divine solicitude and repeated 
promise as Isaac. He typified Christ as the beloved 
son offered up. Yet he never did or said anything 
worthy of record, except as a most important indi- 
vidual in the fixing of the divinely chosen race. ''In 
Isaac shall thy seed be called. ' ' He was the necessary 
link — the son of this most noble, aged pair — secured 
to them by direct divine interposition. 

5. In the close inbreeding used for fixing desirable 
types of life, there is always a liability to reversions 

4o some ancient type. Esau seems to have been such 
a reversion, to a type so ancient that he was covered 
all over with red hair, with a tendency to run wild — 
a cunning hunter. He was rejected from the line. 
He did not ''come true to type." His descendants 
were typically different from Jacob's descendants. 

6. Dr. BuUinger in ' ' The Apocalypse or Day of the 
Lord" says: "Satan strove to corrupt the whole of 
mankind. He succeeded so far that only one family 
was uncontaminated. That is the meaning of the 
^perfect in his generation,' in Gen. 6:9, Tahmim 
means without blemish, especially as to pure descent, 
or blood. (Ex. 12:5; 29:1, etc.) It refers to genital 
perfection." The direct cause of the Flood was the 
intermarriage of the giants — Nephilim — sons of the 
gods — which appear also in heathen mythology— with 
the daughters of men. "For all flesh had corrupted 
their way upon the earth." "The Nephilim were in 
the earth in those days.'' And Jehovah said, "My 
Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for that he 
also is flesh/' These Nephilim and their mongrel 



42 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

progeny were destroyed in the flood, and only the 
pure-bred family of Noah left. It seems likely that 
Ham's wife was not uncontaminated, for it was from 
her descendants that the giants of Palestine — Goliath 
and others — came. The giants of Num. 13:33 are 
said to ^^come from the Nephilim.'' Nephilim means 
^ ^fallen ones.'' Disraeli, when twitted by an English 
lord on his Jewish origin, replied that ^^here flows 
in the veins of the meanest Jew, blood beside which 
the blood of the noblest lord in England is but ditch- 
water. ' ' 

7. There are nations and individuals who are plac- 
ing themselves under penalties which God has said 
should come upon any who mistreat Israel. The 
major portion of the prophecies in the Bible are con- 
cerning this people, including David's greater son, 
Jesus. 



LESSON NUMBER SIX 



43 




44 



PROPHECY EXPLAINED 




LESSON SEVEN 

The Chukch of Christ 

His Bride 

Its origin, its purpose, and its place in 
prophecy. Distinctions between the 
church and Israel and the kingdom of 
heaven. 

And upon this rock I will build my church. 
(Jesus.) 

That he might present the church to Jiimself a 
glorious church . . . holy, and without blemish. 
(Paul.) 

Class reading: Eph. 5:1, 2 and 15-33 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. Is the church of Christ built upon a 
human lineage ? Mt. 16 :18. 

2. Is it limited to any race ? Acts 10 :34-36. 

3. What is the outward seal of membership 
in Israel? Gen. 17:10. 

45 



46 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

4. What is the outward seal of church 
membership ? Acts 2 :38, 41. 

5. What inward seal is Israel to receive at 
their final return? Deut. 30:4-6. 

6. What inw^ard seal is for the church? 
Mk. 1 :8 ; Eph. 1 :13 ; 2 Cor. 1 :22. 

7. What special feast was instituted for 
Israel? Ex. 12:11, 14, 17, 24, 42. 

8. What similar feast was instituted for 
the church? Mt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 
11 :23-26. 

9. What did Jehovah call Israel in Jer. 
2:1-3 and Isa. 54:5, 6? 

10. What is Christ's relation to the church 
as described in 2 Cor. 11 :2, in the class 
reading and in Rev. 21:9, 10? (In the 
Bible a city is usually known by its in- 
habitants — not by its buildings.) 

11. What is the church called in Eph. 1 :22, 
23; 4:12; 5:30; Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 6:15, 
17; 10:16, 17; 12:12, 13, 27; Col. 1:18; 
2:17; 3:15. 



LESSON NUMBER SEVEN 47 

12. How can the church be his bride and his 
body? ICor. 6:16, 17. 

13. What mvsterv was made known to Paul, 
which had not been known to Israel ? 
Eph. 3 :3-6. 

14. What was he given grace to make all 
men see? Eph. 3:9. 

15. What should be made known through 
the church, and to whom ? Ver. 10. 

16. For what did Paul ask prayers in Eph. 
6:19andCol. 4:3, 4? 

17. In Col. 1:24-27 what is said to be the 
riches of the glory of this mystery? 

18. What treasures of these riches are spe- 
cified in Col. 2 :2, 3 ? 

19. What is said of this mystery in 1 Tim. 
3:16? 

20. What is said to be finished in Rev. 10 :7 ? 
When? 



48 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

NOTES 

1. The supposition that Israel, the Church, and 
the Kingdom of God are only different names for the 
same thing, has caused great confusion in the study 
of prophecy. ^'The Judaizing of the Church has 
done more to hinder her progress, pervert her mis- 
sion, and destroy her spirituality than all other 
causes combined." Dr, C. I. Sco field. 

'^The Church has appropriated all of the 0. T. 
blessings and left only the curses for Israel." Joseph 
Cohn, 

Since the days of the apostles there has always 
been a tendency to mix Judaism with Christianity. 
There are always those who confound law with grace. 
Acts 15 :1 tells of those who taught ' ' Except ye be 
circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be 
saved.'' Paul wrote the epistle to the Galatian 
church for the purpose of condemning such teachings, 
and showing that even being a Jew by nature had 
nothing to do with securing the salvation that is in 
Christ, and that a Gentile turning to the Jewish law 
was only forsaking Christ, instead of strengthening^ 
his hope of salvation, and right to church member- 
ship. Yet the tendency to mix the two still persists. 

2. Some of the distinctions between Israel and the 
Church of Christ are: (a) Israel is the highest type 
of the Adam life, secured through a narrow line of 
ancestry. The Church is not confined to any race, 
but is taken from all races. (&) Membership in Israel 
depends upon natural generation ; membership in the 
Church upon supernatural regeneration. One is a 



LESSON NUMBER SEVEN 49 

blood inheritance, the other a gift of grace. God's 
purpose in Israel seems to have been the securing of 
the purest human blood in perpetuity — conforming 
to the Adam type. His purpose in the Church is to 
secure conformity to the life that is in Christ. ''For 
whom he foreknew, he foreordained to be conformed 
to the image of his Son.'' (Rom. 8:29.) The elec- 
tion of grace is unrestricted by race, and open to 
'' Whosoever will." (c) God's covenant promise to 
Israel, of temporal prosperity and national greatness, 
is conditioned on obedience to law. The Church is 
promised tribulation and persecution in this age, and 
glorification in the age to come, in consequence of 
fidelity to a person — Jesus Christ, {d) The law of 
Moses was operative till Christ came. (Lu. 16:16.) 
The ''law of Christ" is operative through the Church 
age ; Israel is cast out of her land and her laws are 
inoperative. 

3. God's manifested presence in Israel was the 
Shekinah, in the holy of holies of a material temple. 
Jesus told the woman of Samaria that the time had 
come when God would no longer be worshipped there. 
The Church is built into a Spiritual temple and the 
Spiritual presence of God is in every true believer's 
heart, and is worshipped in Spirit and truth — ^not 
in sacrifices and ceremonies. 

4. Paul frequently refers to a mystery which was 
not knov/n to Israel, but was miade known to him 
hy revelation. According to Eph. 3 :6 this mystery 
was that Gentiles were to be received into the body 
of Christ, and inherit all the benefits involved. This 
reception of Gentiles into the Church is to continue 



50 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

through the Church age, ^' until the fulness of the 
Gentiles be come in.'' Rom. 11:25. That fulness 
seems to be attained in Rev. 10:7, when the mystery 
is finished, 

5. Another distinction between Israel and the 
Church is in the treatment received by each at the 
return of Christ. The Church is to be resurrected 
and translated, to meet the Lord in the air, and re- 
turn with him to reign. Israel is then to be re- 
established in her own land and enjoy one thousand 
years of great prosperity in peace. Israel will still 
belong to Adam's race, in physical bodies, while the 
Church will belong to Christ, and with spiritual 
bodies like his own— the genus Anthropos and genus 
Christos in visible contrast. 

6. The Greek word for church is ekklesia — ^'that 
which is called out." In itself it has no religious 
significance. In Acts 19 :32, 39, 41 the word ekklesia 
occurs three times in succession, but translated in 
each instance ^^ assembly." Twice it refers to the 
heathen mob which cried for two hours, *^ Great is 
Diana of the Ephesians," and once to a lawful as- 
sembly. The reference in Acts 7:38 to ^Hhe Church 
in the wilderness," which evidently means the as- 
sembled hosts of Israel before Mt. Sinai, does not 
identify that company with the Church of Christ — 
'Hhe Church of the firstborn," of Heb. 12:23— or, 
as it is frequently called, ''the Church of God," or 
**of the living God." The untutored people of Israel 
made and worshipped the golden calf at Sinai. That 
act would disqualify them as belonging to the Church 
of Christ. 



LESSON NUMBER SEVEN 51 

There are many references also to local churches — 
''The churches of Christ salute you/' ''The church 
that is in thy house/' ''The church of Ephesus," 
etc. These are local assemblies of professed Chris- 
tians. There are churches — many of them — which 
are not churches of Christ, even though they may 
profess to be; and there are many members of prac- 
tically all churches who are not individually members 
of the real church of Christ, Definite prophecies 
concerning some churches are found in the N. T. 



LESSON EIGHT 

The Kingdom of God 

The Kingdom of Heaven 

What it is; where, and when manifested; 
its members and its subjects; its pur- 
pose; its duration, and its relation to 
Israel and the Church of Christ. 

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be 
born anew he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . . 
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born 
of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the king- 
dom of God. (Jesus.) 

Class reading: Mt. 13:16-50 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What, according to Lu. 1 :32, should be 
given to Jesus, and by whom? 

2. Over what shall he reign, and for how 
long a time ? V. 33. 

52 



LESSON NUMBER EIGHT 53 

3. Lu. 1:31 was literally fulfilled. Should 
not Vs. 32, 33 be interpreted literally 1 

4. Is Ms kingdom then only spiritual ? Isa. 
9:6, 7; Dan. 7:14, 27. 

5. To what is this kingdom likened in Mt. 
13th chap.? (See notes.) 

6. Who can hardly enter into it? Mt. 
19:23, 24; Lu. 18:24 

7. Who and what cannot inherit it ? 1 Cor. 
6 :9, 10 ; 15 :50 ; Gal. 5 :21 ; Eph. 5 :5. 

8. Except what cannot one enter the king- 
dom ? Mt. 5 :20 ; 18 :3 ; Jn. 3 :3, 5. 

9. Who asked Jesus when the kingdom of 
God was coming? Lu. 17:20. 

10. Were they his friends? Mt. 3:7; 9:34; 
12:14. 

11. Had his kingdom come at his death? 
Lu. 23:42, 50, 51. Lu. 19:11. 



54 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. Had his kingdom come at Ms resurrec- 
tion? Acts 1:3, 6. 

13. Had it come when Paul wrote to 
Timothy in 2 Tim. 4 :18 ? 

14. When will it come? Lu. 21:29-31; Mt. 
25:31; Rev. 11:15. 

15. What will be done to existing nations? 
Psa. 2:6-9; Dan. 2:44; Eev. 2:26, 27; 
19:15. 

16. What will result to Israel? Isa. 43:5; 
49:22, 23. 

17. Who will judge the twelve tribes? Mt. 
19:28; Lu. 22:29, 30. 

18. Describe conditions in Palestine then. 
Isa. 11 :1-10. 

19. Will Israel only be blessed ? Isa. 49 :6. 

20. What will many nations do ? Isa. 2 :2 ; 
Mic. 4:2^. 



LESSON NUMBER EIGHT 55 



NOTES 

1. ''Behold, thy king Cometh unto thee; . . . lowly, 
and riding upon an ass/' (Zeeh. 9:9.) The ful- 
filment of this prophecy (Jn. 12:14, 15) is commonly 
called ''The triumphal entry.'' His loyal friends 
proclaimed him king. As he approached the city he 
ivept over it, knowing he would be rejected, and the 
city and nation suffer untold woes as a consequence. 
"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I 
say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye 
shall say. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of 
the Lord" (Mt. 23:38, 39)— as his friends had done. 
That day has not yet come. The only crown his peo- 
ple had for him was a crown of thorns. Was that a 
triumphal entry? 

2. The Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of 
God should come. They were his enemies seeking 
to catch him in his talk, and put him to death. In 
Jesus' reply he certainly did not mean that the king- 
dom of God was ivithin them. The margin says, "in 
the midst." The king and a few of his subjects were 
among them. But even this interpretation does not 
fit the context. Jesus puts the coming in the future 
when he says "neither shall they say." The evident 
meaning is, the coming will not be observable, but 
suddenly it is here. "For as the lightning cometh 
from the east, and is seen even unto the west ; so shall 
be the coming of the Son of man." (Mt. 24:27; Lu. 
17 :24. ) This was part of his answer, but spoken only 
to his disciples. 



66 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. In Ex. 19 :5, 6, God spoke to Israel, through 
Moses, saying, ''Now, therefore, if ye will obey my 
voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be 
mine own possession from among all peoples: for 
all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a 
kingdom of priests^ and a lioly nation/' The taber- 
nacle was built for Him to dwell in, the golden ark 
representing his throne, upon which the Shekinah, his 
visible presence, rested, in the throne-room, the Holy 
of Holies. God was their king, ruling them through 
Moses and his successors, the prophets. When Israel 
asked for a human king God said to Samuel, ''They 
have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, 
that / should not he king over them." He was told 
to protest solemnly, but grant their request. But 
God only permitted the human king to reign as his 
vicegerent. He selected Saul and told Samuel to 
^'anoint him to be prince over my people Israel." 
When Saul disobeyed God's orders through his 
prophet, Samuel, God rejected him from heing king, 
and sent Samuel to anoint David to succeed him. 
Although Saul was allowed to hold the scepter till his 
death, David was God's king over Israel. "And the 
Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David from 
that day forward." (1 Sam. 16:13.) When David 
expressed a desire to build a house for God to dwell 
in, God sent word to him by the prophet Nathan that 
he should not build it. "Moreover, Jehovah telleth 
thee that Jehovah will make thee a house. . . . And 
tJiy Jiouse and thy kingdom shall be made sure for 
ever before thee: thy throne shall he estahlished for- 
ever/' This was God's covenant wdth David (see 



LESSON NUMBER EIGHT 57 

Lesson 3, Note 3) ; and this is the throne and king- 
dom specified in Lu. 1 :32, 33. 

4. It is through the Church that we enter into the 
Kingdom. It is ^'through many tribulations we must 
enter into the Kingdom of God.'' Tribulation is the 
lot of the Church. The Church is the agency through 
which men are brought into the Kingdom. It may be 
be said to be the Kingdom in embryo. The ^'king- 
dom parables'' of Mt. 13:16-50 seem to refer to this 
formative stage of the Kingdom of God, which is to 
be built upon the throne of David. There is increase 
from a small beginning to a full development ; the 
mixture of good and bad; the final separation and 
saving, and destroying. Some teachers interpret the 
parable of the leaven as meaning that the Gospel is 
to leaven the whole world, and that all the world will 
be converted. Others say that leaven in meal means 
corruption in the Church. But Jesus said that the 
Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven — not like meal. 
Jesus warned the disciples of the leaven of the 
Pharisees. (Mt. 16:11, 12.) ^^He bade them not 
beware of the leaven of breach but of the teaching 
of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Leaven of bread 
is the kind that was put in the meal. Seven is the 
number of completeness in the Bible. Three measures 
of meal would hardly represent the ivliole icorld. 
The thought seems to be that the ^^ woman," the 
bride of Christ, takes the teachings — not of the 
Pharisees — but of Jesus, ^^the true bread" — and, 
like leaven, they permeate and transform a large 
measure of humanity — perhaps three-sevenths of 
it. But the meal does not all become leaven. It is 



58 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

only permeated by it, leavened preparatory to bak- 
ing — which puts an end to the leavening process. 
The leaven of the Gospel will also cease to work when 
^^is finished the mystery of God, according to the 
good tidings:" ^'the angels shall come forth, and 
sever the wicked from among the righteous, and shall 
cast them into the furnace of fire." 

5. The 0. T. kingdom went to pieces as a result of 
Israel's rejection of God from being their king. The 
nation was scattered to the ends of the earth, and the 
land of Israel is to be trodden down by the Gentiles 
until the fulness of the Gentiles are come in, when, 
out of the wreckage of Israel, and the influx of 
Gentiles, through the church, the new Kingdom of 
heaven is to be established on the throne of David, 
in the land of Palestine, with Jesus as king. The 
great bulk of 0. T. and N. T. prophecy has to do 
Avith our Lord's return for this purpose. 

6. Eemember this : Those who enter the Kingdom 
do so to 7^eign with Christ, and not simply as subjects. 
Others there are who will be subjects only and not 
rulers in the Kingdom. There are those who will 
sit doivn. (Mt. 8:11, 12; Lu. 13:28, 29.) Rev. 3:21 
says, ^^He that overcometh, I will give to him- to 
sit down with me in my throne.'^ A king may asso- 
ciate a son with him on his throne, or his queen. This 
is the privilege of the Bride of Christ. Then there 
are those who stand before the throne and serve. 
Rev. 7 :15. Notice also those who will be cast forth 
without, and their condition, as shown in Mt. 8 :12, 
Lu. 13:27, 28. 

7. According to 1 Cor. 15:24, 25, the millennial 



LESSON NUMBER EIGHT 59 

reign of Christ and His Bride is for the purpose of 
putting all enemies under His feet. The Kingdom 
must be divested of every trace of insubordination to 
God. All rule and authority and power — other than 
His — must be abolished. Then it is to be delivered 
up to God, the Father, a perfected realm of his uni- 
versal throne. 



LESSON NINE 

The Kixg 

King of Israel ; King of Kings 

His throne and dominion; the title to the 
throne ; the extent of his dominion, and 
the length of his reign. His ancestry; 
His Diety. 

I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. 
(Psa.) And there was given him dominion, and 
glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, 
and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an 
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away. 
(Daniel.) 

Class reading: Psa. 72 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What was Jesus by birth ? Mt. 2 :2 ; Jn. 
18:37. 

2. What is he called in Jn. 1 :49 ; Mt. 27 :37 ; 
Mk. 15:2, 26;Lu. 23:37, 38? 

60 



LESSON NUMBER NINE 61 

3. By virtue of what ancestiy was he born 
king of Israel ? Mt. 1 :1-16 ; Lu. 3 :23-38. 

4. What differences are there between 
these two records of ancestry, and why ? 
Read carefully, and see notes. 

5. How did he acquire world-wide domin- 
ion? Jn. 11:51, 52; Acts 20: 28; Rev. 
5:9. 

6. Who was Christ according to Jn. 1:14, 
18; 3:16, 18; IJn. 4:9? 

7. By virtue of this sonship, what throne 
does he inherit ? Psa. 103 :19 ; Heb. 1 :2. 

8. How was Jesus begotten, according to 
Lu. 1:35; Mt. 1:20? 

9. Is he the only begotten in this relation ? 
Jn. 3:5; Heb. 2:11, 12,17. 

10. How are Christians affected by this re- 
lationship? Gal. 4:1-7; Rom. 8:14-17; 
Jas. 2:5. 

11. What king did Isaiah see in a vision, 
and where was his throne? Isa. 6:1, 5. 



62 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. Ezekiel, Chapters 40 to 46^ describes a 
vision of the Millennial temple. What 
was said to him in 43 :5-7, and by whom ^ 

13. What wonderful scene was witnessed bv 
three apostles? Mt. 17:2. 

14. Of what was this a pre- vision? Mt. 
16:28; 2 Pet. 1:16-18. 

15. Whom did Paul see in a vision? Acts 
22:6-8; 26:13-16. 

16. What caused all these men to fall 
prostrate ? 

17. What effect will the sight of him have 
on all men, when he appears? Mt. 
24:29, 30; Rev. 6:12-16. 

18. What is Jesus called in Isa. 9:2; Mt 
4:16? 

19. Is this light literal, figurative, or both ? 

20. How is his final coming described in 
Isa. 60:1-3? 



LESSON NUMBER NINE 63 

NOTES 

1. Some repetition of texts and thoughts in Les- 
sons 4, 6, 7 and 8 is almost linavoidable if we are to 
''see the King in his beauty/' and in his relationships 
to Israel, the Church and the Kingdom. Yet we are 
overwhelmed with the number and variety of other 
passages which relate to Jesus as King. He is the 
hero of Bible story ; the Conqueror who has overcome 
Satan and has gone forth conquering and to conquer, 
and to secure the allegiance of men of all nations as 
subjects of his Kingdom ; the God-man, the first born 
among the many brethren of the new creation; the 
Lord of Lords, and King of kings. 

2. The genealogy recorded in Mt. 1 :1-16 is very 
different from that in Lu. 3 :23-28. In Matthew the 
descent is traced through the reigning kings of 
Judah and those of their line through whom title to 
the throne would descend by inheritance. This legal 
descent of royalty is what would determine Jesus' 
right to the throne of David. As this was a matter 
of registry it could not be questioned; and, so far 
as we know, the Jews never did question the legality 
of this claim. 

The genealogy by Luke is from David, through 
another line of descent, to Mary. Since only males 
are recorded in these genealogies, the name of Joseph 
appears in place of hers, and as her legal representa- 
tive. Jesus was therefore entitled to the throne of 
David, by legal descent and by blood descent. 

3. God never surrendered his own claim to the 
throne of Israel. David was king only by his appoint- 



64 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

ment. Jesus, as Son of God, therefore, had a better 
claim to that throne than even David, or any of his 
descendants, had. 

4. There is a dual divinity in Christ. John said 
of the ^^Word'' that he was the only iegotten of the 
Father. The angel told Mary that the Holy Spirit 
should come upon her, and that the child thus be- 
gotten should therefore be called the Son of God, 
The Lord also told Joseph, in a dream, that Mary's 
child was begotten by the Holy Spirit. The angel 
also told Mary, ''He shall be great and shall be called 
the Son of the Most High : and the Lord God shall 
give unto him the throne of his father David." 

He is the only begotten of the Father. There can 
be but one only begotten. But as begotten by the 
Holy Spirit he is called the ^^ first horn among many 
brethren/' The Christian is also a son of God, be- 
gotten anew by the Holy Spirit, ''For both he that 
sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one; 
for which cause he is not ashamed to call them 
brethren/' 

5. It is the only begotten Son that God gave as a 
sacrifice for sin. No other son of God can equal him. 
No other could have borne the sins of the world. Nor 
can any other equal him as the Elder Brother. But 
through regeneration by the Holy Spirit we are all 
of one, and thus are made partakers of the divine 
nature, and become members of the household of God 
— royal blood in our veins. In Rev. 5 :5 it is the 
**Lion of the tribe of Juda\ the Root of David,'' 
that is found worthy to open the seven-sealed roll- 
credentials of redemption of a lost world and title 



LESSON NUMBER NINE 65 

to its throne ; but he receives it from the right hand 
of God as a Lamb that had been slain. It was as 
the Lamb of God that he took away the sins of the 
world, paying the redemption price with his own 
blood. 

By virtue of heredity he is King of Israel. By 
virtue of redemption he is the Head of the church. 
By virtue of conquest he is King of kings, and Lord 
of Lords; and as the Only Begotten of the Father 
he is co-regent with him Qf the universe. 

6. ' ' God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ' ^ 
(1 Jn. 1:5.) ^^Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . King of 
kings, and Lord of Lords ; . . . dwelling in light un- 
approachable. ' ^ (1 Tim. 6:14-16.) ^^t is God that 
said Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined 
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of 
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.^' (2 
Cor. 4:6.) We could hardly imagine a universe in 
total darkness. There could be no life, no knowledge. 
Nothing could better typify God's omnipresence than 
light — ^unapproachable intensity in its source — death 
in its absence. Total darkness makes a beautiful pic- 
ture a blank. Light glorifies it. Light makes its 
beauties perceptible. The light of the knowledge of 
the glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ. But 
there seems also to be a literal radiance from his 
glorified face. On the Holy Mount his face shone 
like the sun. Paul was blinded by it, so that scales 
formed over his material eyes. When John saw him 
in Rev. 1:12-17 his countenance was ^^as the sun 
shineth in his strength./' And he fell at his feet as 
one dead. Light should remind us of His presence. 



PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Part Two 

LESSONS TEN TO EIGHTEEN 

SOME FULFILLED PROPHECIES 

How THEY ARE FULFILLED; LlTERALLY^ 

Figuratively 

The lessons of Part Two will disclose 
some of the wonderful things which were 
foretold in the prophecies which have 
already been f ulfilled^ 

The manner of their fulfilment must 
be our key to the proper manner of inter- 
pretation of the unfulfilled prophecies — 
especially as to whether they should have a 
literal interpretation, or figurative. The 
importance of this is evident because of the 
fact that the great divergences in the inter- 
pretation of prophecy, by men of differing 
schools, depend almost wholly on their pre- 
conceived methods or principles of inter- 
pretation. We cannot safely follow man- 
made rules here. 

67 



LESSON TEN 

Tyee axd Sidox 

The remarkable prophecies against Tyre; 
her wealth and luxury; her pride and 
sin; her downfall and destruction, as 
predicted by Jehovah, and as fulfilled, 
according to history. Sidon's milder 
woes. 

Tyre did build herself a stronghold, and heaped 
up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the 
streets. Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he 
will smite her power in the sea ; and she shall be de- 
voured with fire. (Zeeh. 9:3, 4.) 

Home readings: Eze. 26th, 27th and 28th Ch. 

Class reading : Isa. 23:1-18 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

!• Locate Tyre and Sidon on a map.j 

2. When and where is Tyre first^ men- 
tioned, and how described? Josh. 19:29. 

68 



LESSON NUMBER TEN ' C9 

3. How is her destruction described in Isa. 
23:1? 

4. What reason for her destruction is given 
in Eze. 26 :2, 3 ? 

5. Who will break down the towers, and 
who scrape her dust ? Ver. 4, 5. 

6. What is Nebuchadnezzar called in Y. 7 ? 

7. What will ^^he" do, Vs. 8-11, "thej'' in 
y. 12, and ^^I'' in 13, 14? Note 4. 

8. How will her fall affect other peoples ? 
Vs. 15-18. Isa. 23 : 5, 6. 

9. Who purposed this against Tyre ? Isa. 
23:8,9. Eze. 26:19. 

10. How long should she be forgotten ? Is^ 
23:15-17. 

11. How can this be harmonized with Eze. 
26:14, 21; 27:36? Notes. 

12. In the 27th Chapter of Eze. Tyre is de- 
scribed figuratively as a merchantman 



70 ' PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

.or trading yessel. Who are said to be 
her rowers, pilots, and calkers ? Vs. 8, 9. 

13. Where did her rowers bring her, and 
what became of her ? Vs. 26, 27. 

14. How is the sorrow of surrounding peo- 
ples described, figuratively ? Vs. 28-34. 

15. How is the deportation of the people of 
Tyre described in Isa. 23 :7 ? 

16. Who were her ^^ merchants'' and who 
her ' ' traffickers ' ' ? Eze. 27 :12-24. 

18. From the lists of merchandise and the 
countries mentioned, what must have 
been her importance as a commercial 
center? Vs. 12-25. 

19. With what sin did God charge the 
prince of Tyre, and by whose hand 
would he therefore die ? 28 :1-10. 

20. Is there any similarity between this 
prophecy and Rev. 18 :8-20 ? 



LESSON NUMBER TEN 71 

NOTES 

1. Isa. 23 :7 speaks of Tyre as a '^joyous city, whose 
antiquity is of ancient days/' In v. 12 she is spoken 
of as "virgin daughter of Sidon. '' Ancient cities, 
as well as more modern, are often referred to in the 
feminine gender. The people of a city or country in 
0. T. prophecy are often called " daughter '^ — 
'^daughter of Egypt'' — Jerusalem — Babylon, etc. 

Possibly Tyre was built by people from Sidon. 
Chamber's Encyclopedia says: "So much, however, 
seems certain, that Tyre had existed already inde- 
pendently for a long time, when Sidon, defeated by 
Ascalon, transferred herself almost bodily to • the 
former." Tyre outgrew the mother city and be- 
came a great commercial maritime city. Its location 
at the eastern extremity of the Mediterranean made 
it a center of trade for all the countries bordering on 
that sea, and the interior of Asia. The remarkable 
list of articles of merchandise given in Eze. 27 :12-25 
is an index to her commercial greatness. 

2. In Eze. 26 :3 the armies of nation after nation 
coming against Tyre — jealous of her greatness and 
eager for her rich plunder — are compared to the 
waves of the sea, coming one after another. We 
will find that all through the 0. T. and N. T. 
prophecies, bodies of water are frequently used 
figuratively of armies, or other masses of people. 
Like every other -figure of speech in the Bible w^e 
must look for its application in the Bible itself ; and, 
as in this case, it is usually self-evident. 

3. After many sieges, more or less disastrous. Tyre 



72 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

was overthrown by Nebuchadnezzar, after a siege of 
thirteen years. The prophecy in Isaiah 23 has to do 
principally with this siege, captivity and return. 
But V. 12 says: ^^Thou shalt no more rejoice, thou 
oppressed daughter of Sidon: arise, pass over to 
Kittim; even there thou shalt have no rest/' which 
seems to refer to the events of which Ezekiel proph- 
esied in 26:4, 5, 12-14. ''Kittim'' is supposed to 
mean an island opposite Tyre. ''Kittim appears as 
the resort of the fleets of Tyre.'' (Young.) Dr. 
John Urquhart says in "The Wonders of Prophecy": 
' ' Previous to the fall of their ancient city, the Tyrians 
had removed the bulk of their treasure to an island 
in their possession, half a mile from the shore. 
Taught now by bitter experience, they resolved to 
trust themselves no more within walls, which had not 
around them the defense of a watery girdle. Tyre 
was mistress of the sea, and could defend herself 
there." From other accounts it seems that the city 
was rebuilt on the mainland, after the return of the 
captives ; but unable to withstand further assaults the 
old site was, perhaps gradually, deserted and the 
population moved across to the new city on the island. 
"The great and joyous city was abased and 
desolate. But the ruins still stood. . . . More than 
240 years rolled on. . . . Then the fame of Alex- 
ander's swift and all-conquering career sent a thrill 
of alarm through the East . . . Alexander's army 
marched to the seashore, and there, with half a mile 
of blue waters between them and it, stood the city 
they had come to attack. How could it be taken. 
Alexander's plan was speedily formed. He de- 



LESSON NUMBER TEN 73 

termined to construct a solid causeway through the 
sea, over which his forces might advance to the assault. 
And now this word, which had waited so long, was at 
last literally fulfilled. The walls, the towers, and the 
ruined houses, and palaces, and temples, of the ancient 
city were pulled down, and the stones and the timber 
of Tyre were laid ^in the midst of the water.' Her 
mounds of ruins were cleared away ; and so great was 
the demands for material in this vast undertaking, 
that the very dust seems to have been scraped from 
the site and laid in the sea." (Urquhart.) 

It is said that this causeway was 200 feet wide, 
with a maximum fill of 18 feet. 

4. Prophecy usually ignores time. Dates seem to 
be of little consequence. Careful study is sometimes 
necessary to discover a lapse of time. Between Eze. 
26 :11 and 12, 240 years was to slip away. The only 
hint of this intervening time is in the words ^4ie" 
of V. 11 and ^^they" of V. 12. ^^I" of Vs. 13, 14, 
represents God as the final cause, and the spokesman. 

5. The only thing to identify the site of old Tyre 
at present is the bare rock upon which fishermen 
still spread their nets. Of the new island city of 
Tyre it was predicted, ^^even there shalt thou have 
no rest. ' ' Its history has been one of repeated desola- 
tion and rebuilding. At present it is said to be again 
reviving, after becoming little more than a village 
of a few thousands living among ruins. 

6. There is no prophecy of the destruction of Sidon, 
but ^'I will send pestilence into her, and blood into 
her streets; . . . with the sword upon her on every 
side; and tkey shall know that I am Jehovah/^ A 



74 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

single instance, one of many sorrows that have come 
upon Sidon will suffice. Dr. Urquhart says: ^^It 
rebelled under Artaxerxes Ochus, and after a suc- 
cessful resistance, was betrayed to the enemy. When 
all hope of saving their city was gone, 40,000 citizens 
chose to die rather than submit to Persian vengeance. 
They shut themselves up with their wives and chil- 
dren, set fire to their dwellings, and perished amid 
the flames. ... It was soon rebuilt by the citizens 
who had been absent at the time of the siege; but 
the doom of suffering still rested on it." Sidon still 
stands. 



LESSON ELEVEN 

Egypt 

Her ancient glory ; her treatment of Israel ; 
God's judgments on her for this; her 
decline and debasements ; her final bless- 
ing. 

Egypt riseth up like the Nile, . . . and he saith 
I will rise up, I will cover the earth; I will destroy 
cities and the inhabitants thereof. (Jer.) 

And Jehovah will smite Egypt, smiting and heal- 
ing; and they shall return unto Jehovah. (Isa.) 

Home readings: Isa. 19:1-24. 

Eze. 29:1-21; 30:1-26. 
Class reading: Jer. 46:1-26. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. To what is Egypt likened in Jer. 46:7, 
8, and what does he say ? 

2. What word did Jehovah speak ? Vs. 13, 
18, 19. 

75 



76 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. What reason did he give for allowing 
this? Eze. 29:17-20. 

4. How long should they be in captivity ? 
Vs. 10-13. 

5. What kind of kingdom should it then be, 
and what should they no more do ? Ys. 
14. 15. 

6. What would God do to Pharaoh; and 
what to the king of Babylon ? Eze. 30 : 
21-26. 

7. What would he do to the Egyptians? 
Isa. 19 :4. 

8. What will the ^^ sword" do; who has a 
sacrifice, and where ? Jer. 46 :10. 

9. ^^Tiat is Pharaoh called in Eze. 29 :3 and 
32:2? 

10. AVhat would God do to him and what 
would stick to his scales ? Eze. 29 :4. 

11. What would he then do, and to what 
would he give him ? Vs. 5 ; 32 :34. Com- 
pare Eze. 39 :17-20 ; Rev. 19 :17. 



LESSON NUMBER ELEVEN 77 

12. What is said to the ' ' daughter of Egypt ' ' 
in Jer. 46:11? 

13. Who is said to have purposed all this? 
Isa. 19 :12, 17. 

14. What will Jehovah do besides smite ; and 
with what result? Y. 22. 

15. What ultimate purpose has God in such 
judgments? Eze. 29:9, 16; 30:8, 19, 25, 
26. 

16. Isa. 19:19-25 is still unfulfilled. What 
is yet to be in Egypt ? Y. 19. 

17. To whom shall they cry, and whom will 
he send? Y. 20. 

18. What statements are made in Y. 23 ? 

19. Whatin Ys. 24, 25? ^ 

20. What expressions are figurative in this 
lesson, and what do they mean ? 



78 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

NOTES 

1. Skeptics say that such prophecies as these con- 
cerning Tyre and Egypt were either written after the 
occurrences detailed, or that they were shrewd guesses 
only. But there are elements of fulfilment which have 
continued down to the present time — which preclude 
the idea of a history of these events. No man could 
possibly have guessed all the details of these prophe- 
cies. Who — outside of Germany at least — could pos- 
sibly have guessed in 1913, the recent awful world 
war — especially in its horrible details? 

Again, Jesus quoted from the 0. T. prophecies many 
times as the Word of God, ^^wJiich cannot he hroken'' 
— and they cannot be. The resurrection of Jesus — 
of which event there is no better proven fact in all 
history — makes the word of Jesus unimpeachable. 
This is the Magna Charta of Christian faith. If these 
prophecies were the word of God in the time of Christ, 
they are still the same, except in trivial errors of 
translation, or of copying. Copies have come down 
through both Israel and the Church. There could 
have been no collusion between them to change them. 
Their present essential agreement therefore establishes 
their truthfulness. 

2. Egypt is probably the oldest of living nations. 
Some of the greatest monuments and statues ever 
erected by man are there, and were old in Abraham's 
time. Its earliest known civilization was its greatest. 
Its history is a history of decline. 

Isaiah's prophecy was written about 2,625 years 
ago : Jeremiah's about 2,520, and Ezekiel's 2,500. All 



LESSON NUMBER ELEVEN 79 

their prophecies about Egypt have been perfectly ful- 
filled to date, and are still being fulfilled. 

3. Probably one of God's purposes for Israel in her 
long residence in Egypt was that she might be under 
the infiuence of the civilization of this great people. 
There are passages which indicate that God has a 
special regard for the people of Egypt. In Deut. 23 :7, 
8 they are granted specialized privileges, which were 
denied to the descendants of Lot. (Vs. 3-6.) ^^The 
rite of circumcision, which was practiced by the Egyp- 
tians generally, though not universally, must have 
been obligatory upon the priests, if it was a necessary 
preliminary to initiation into the mysteries. . . . 
Polygamy, however, was strictly prohibited; and a 
generalsimplicity of living was enjoined." (Rawlin- 
son's ''Ancient Egypt.") 

These customs indicate a people of high moral 
character and intelligence. It was to this nation, as to 
a ' ' nursing mother, ' ' that God committed the keeping 
of his infant nation, Israel, until she should be able 
to walk alone among the nations of the earth. God 
still remembers this service to his Chosen People and is 
reserving a final blessing for her, along with Assyria 
and Israel, ''saying. Blessed he Egypt, my people/' 
(Isa. 19:24, 25.) 

4. The noble character of the Egyptians did not 
shield them from the wrath of God when they under- 
took to cn^sTi Israel. They were then touching "the 
apple of his eye." (Deut. 32:10.) Dire calamities 
had been pronounced upon such; and the "plagues 
of Egypt" followed. 

Eze. 29 :6-10 declares that because Egypt failed to 



80 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

support Israel when she leaned on her, in later years 
(Isa. 36:6), titer ef ore he would bring upon her the 
sword and captivity. (Compare Isa. 36:4-7.) 

5. ^^ There has been, as was predicted, a constant 
decline. From the time of the Babylonian invasion 
there was no revival of Egypt's greatness and pre- 
eminence among the nations. Many medicines were 
tried, but she was not healed. In the Egypt of the 
Pharaohs, of the Persian dominion, of the Ptolemies, 
of the Roman Empire, of the Mohammedans, we have 
a gradual but continuous descent. After the Arab 
conquest the degeneration proceeded with rapid 
strides, till Egypt has become what it is today. Its 
science, and learning, and art ; no less than it magnifi- 
cence, and power, and prestige, have wholly perished. 
The great mass of the people are utterly rude and 
unlettered and only very slightly removed from 
barbarism. The British occupation, which began in 
1882, undoubtedly brought a large measure of relief. 
But while all this is true, it would be a mistake to 
conclude that Egypt's trouble was ended and that 
those predictions ceased to find fulfilment. These re- 
forms are in no sense of native growth. . . . This 
second point, then, in the prophetic picture of Egypt 
has been strikingly fulfilled. There has been ^no heal- 
ing' for Egypt. ^The pride of her power has come 
down.' She has been diminished and has no more 
ruled over the nations. "We now turn to a third 
feature. Though there is to be a decline, the Scripture 
assures us there will be no extinction either of the 
people or of the kingdom. ^They,' we read, ^ shall be 
there (that is, in their own land) a base kingdom.' 



LESSON NUMBER ELEVEN 81 

'It shall be the basest of kingdoms; neither shall it 
exalt itself any more above the nations; for I will 
diminish them that they shall no more rule over the 
nations. ' . . . The hopeless bondage of centuries has 
quenched every spark of ambition in the breasts of 
the descendants of the Pharaohs ; and under the iron 
heel of oppression, genius and talent, and even intel- 
lect itself, seem to have been extinguished." (Urqu- 
hart. ) 

6. While the fulfilment of these prophecies is very 
literal and real, some of the predictions are couched 
in poetic terms or figurative expressions, it is not diffi- 
cult to understand them. AVe have heard ^^The Nile 
is Egypt." There would be no Eg^^t without it — only 
a barren desert. The ^'Monster" of Egypt stands for 
what the ^^ American Eagle," the ^^ British Lion," or 
the ^^ Russian Bear" of our times stand for: not Presi- 
dent, or King, but the intangible force of the nation, 
and indicating its character. This is the force that 
caused the ^^fish" soldiers to stick to the scales of the 
monster — a draft from which they could not escape. 
It was this monster which was destroyed — Egypt never 
regained her power. 

We will find that nations in 0. T. and N. T. 
prophecy are characterized thus, as beasts. 



LESSON TWELVE 

Broken Vows 

The covenant between God and Israel, made 
and ratified at Mount Sinai. Its literal 
meaning, and figurative significance. 
The vows taken, and the penalties in- 
volved. Warnings and predictions of 
disaster. 

Thou hast avouched Jehovah this day to be thy God, 
and that thou wouldst walk in his ways . . . and 
hearken unto his voice; and Jehovah hath avouched 
thee this day to be a people for his own possession, as 
he hath promised thee. (Moses.) 

Home readings: Eze. 16 :l-63 ; 23 :l-49 
Class reading: Lev. 26:1-46 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. How was Israel brought out of Egypt? 
Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11. 

2. What proposal and promise in Ex. 19 :5, 
6? 

82 



LESSON NUMBER TWELVE 83 

3. By what pledge was this accepted? V. 8. 

4. What obligations were put upon her? 
Ex. 20:1-17. 

5. By what ceremonies were these obliga- 
tions ratified? Ex. 24:3-8. 

6. What was made a sign to keep this 
covenant always in mind? Ex. 31:15- 
17 ; Dent. 5 :15 ; Eze. 20 :12, 20. 

7. What record of this covenant was made, 
and where kept? Ex. 34:27, 28; Deut. 
4:12, 13; 10:5. 

8. What command was of first importance ? 
Ex. 20:3-6, 23; Lev. 26:1; Deut. 27:15; 
Mt. 22:36-38. 



9. In view of these covenant relations, what 
did Jehovah call himself? Jer. 31:32; 
Isa. 54 :5. 

10. What did he call Israel? Ver. 6. 

11. How did he treat her? Eze. 16 :8-14. 



84 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. As a wife, how did she treat him, and 
what did she become? Jer. 3:20; Eze. 
16:15-21. 

13. How did she compare with her sisters? 
Eze. 16:46-48; Vs. 30-34. 

14. What did Jehovali still beg her to do? 
Jer. 3 :1. 

15. Because she retm^ned not, what did he 
give her? Vs. 7, 8. 

16. What is said of this in Isa. 50 :1 ? 

17. What does he say of her in Hos. 2 :2 ; and 
what does he threaten ? Vs. 3-6. 

18. What will she finally say? V. 7. 

19. What will Jehovah then do? Vs. 14, 15, 
19, 23. 

20. What effect will this have on her ? Eze, 
16:60-63. 



LESSON NUMBER TWELVE 85 

NOTES 

1. This lesson should be carefully studied and 
answers written before coming to class. To describe 
the awfulness of the sin of idolatry, especially as 
practiced by Israel and Judah — the forsaking of 
Jehovah, who had done such wonderful things for 
them, and the adoption of the vain creations of man's 
corrupt heart in His place — requires the use of such 
language as brings the blush of shame to him who 
reads. 

No other readable language could adequately pic- 
ture the abominable nature of idolatry. Otherwise 
the Spirit of God could hardly have described such 
awful condvict as is portrayed in the 16 and 23d chap- 
ters of Ezekiel. 

2. To properly understand the figurative language 
in this lesson, a fair knowledge of the history of 
Israel after the Exodus from Egypt is necessary, as 
recorded in Ex. 13 chapter and onward to the end of 
2 Chronicles. The flight of Israel from Egypt is 
described as being borne ^^on eagles' wings" — indicat- 
ing the power, speed and safety with which God con- 
ducted that flight. According to Rev. 12:14 it seems 
that this same '^ woman," Israel, will again be helped 
by ''eacrles' winsrs" to flv ''into the wilderness unto 
her place," probably this same wilderness and place, 
before Mt. Sinai, as in Exodus. 

3. The Covenant between God and Israel, made, 
ratified and sealed at Mt. Sinai, was symbolical of a 
wedding. Moses acted as priest, and the contracting 
parties obligated themselves under most solemn vows, 



86 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

sealed with sacrificial blood, to belong, each to the 
other, as God and people. In the sealing ceremony, 
the altar represented Jehovah, and upon this was 
sprinkled half of the blood, the other half being 
sprinkled upon the other contracting party, Israel. 
This was a most solemn ceremony, following the read- 
ing of the covenant, and made it most binding on both 
parties. All through 0. T. prophecies Israel is often 
referred to as a woman — the lawful spouse of Jehovah. 

4. As we have seen in a previous lesson, God does 
sometimes speak to men in an audible voice. At Sinai 
he propounded the text of the Covenant in a voice of 
thunder in the hearing of all the people. After they 
had agreed to it he wrote it upon tablets of stone ; and 
after the vows were taken these tablets were placed in 
a golden chest under his temple throne — indicating 
their sacredness and preciousness to Him. 

No human compact is more sacred than the marriage 
vow ; ai:id nothing is more ignoble or abominable than 
the breaking of that vow, or better represents the 
shame of forsaking one's God for any kind of 
substitute. 

5. A very large proportion of the prophecies of the 
Bible were spoken or written to warn, and protest 
against Israel's treacherous desertion of God. Time 
after time, foreign gods became popular and silly 
Israel went after them. "When she refused to heed 
the warnings of prophets, war-dogs were sent to bring 
her back. For a thousand years Jehovah dealt very 
patiently with her. ''He hath not dealt so with any 
nation." ''Moreover, all the chief of the priests, and 
the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abomi- 



LESSON NUMBER TWELVE 87 

nations of the nations; and they polluted the house 
of Jehovah which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. 
And Jehovah . . . sent to them by his messengers, 
rising up early and sending, because he had compas- 
sion on his people, and on his dwelling-place : but they 
mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, 
and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of Jehovah 
arose against his people, till there was no healing/' 
(2 Chr. 36:14-16.) 

Then the verdict came: '^I will judge thee, as 
women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged ; 
and I will bring upon thee the blood of wrath and 
jealousy . . . They shall also bring up a company 
against thee, and they shall . . . thrust thee through 
with their swords.'' 

6. Strange as it seems to us that Israel should for- 
sake Jehovah and adopt idol worship, and persistently 
return to it again and again after being punished 
severely for it, is it not more strange that people are 
still flocking after idols ? 

H. H. McOuilkin, in ^'The Continent," says: 
^* Seemingly many American people are crowding 
around Hindu junk dealers to get their cast-off gods. 
There is a great demand for a cheap god — any kind, 
in fact, so it doesn't cost much in the way of obedience 
to moral law or service . . . Here is a sort of com- 
posite god. It is the pan-god. The universe is he 
and he is the universe. It is a 99-cent god. No moral 
law, no moral quality, no judgment — ^just a big, 
clumsy, inchoate ^it' . . . Every size and shape and 
hue of god may be found. The gods in here (the 
Buddhist) are pretty sleasy. They are woven out of 



88 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

gossamer, or are made from ^sunset dust.' They are 
soap bubble gods, pretty to look at, but when you 
try to take hold of them, they burst and pass into 
nothingness ... It is amazing how many American 
people are stocking up with this soap bubble god. 
They think it's a real bonanza, too. They are scorn- 
ful towards a personal God, and make a great deal of 
the abstract simplicity that, to them, attaches to their 
god of principle, mind, law. They tell us that to pray 
to a personal God is a hindrance, and so they have 
quit praying — the only consistent thing, of course, for 
them to do,'' This is rank heathenism! 



LESSON THIRTEEN 

Israelis Idolatry 

Literal denunciations, warnings and predic- 
tions of disasters, because of the one 
great sin of idolatry. Increasing sev- 
erity of measures to cure Israel of this 
sin, with promise of final restoration to 
himself. 

Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a 
seed of evil doers, children that deal corruptly! tJiey 
Tiave forsaken Jehovah. (Isaiah.) 

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 
and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for 
the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of 
birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. 
(Paul.) 

Home reading: Deut. 28 :l-68 
Class reading: Jer. 18:1-17; 19:1-13 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What did Jehovah say to Moses in DeuL 
31:20? 

89 



90 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. What are false gods called in Deut. 
32:171 

3. What was Joshua's final AYarning? 
Josh. 24:14, 20. 

4. What command of God did Solomon dis- 
obey, and with what results ? 1 Ki. 11 :1- 
8. 

5. What punishment was predicted and 
literally fulfilled ? 1 Ki. 11 :26-33 ; 12 :1- 
20. 

6. Of what great sin was Jereboam guilty? 
1 Ki. 12 :25-33. 

7. What predictions were made in 1 Ki. 
13:1-5, and when were they fulfilled? 

2 Ki. 23:15-18. 

8. What is said of Ahab and Jezebel in 1 
Ki. 16:29-33:21:22-261 



9. How were the predictions in Vs. 23, 24 
ful 
10. 



fulfilled? 2 Ki. 9:22-26, 30-37; 10:6- 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTEEN 91 

10. What did every king of the ten tribes 
do? 2 Ki. 15:17, 18, 27, 28 and others. 

11. What was the character of Rehoboam's 
reign I 1 Ki. 14:21-24. 

12. What daughter of Jezebel became queen 
of Judah, and how ? 2 Ki. 11 :l-3. 

13. What is said of her in 2 Chr. 22:3, 4; 
24:7? 

14. How is Manasseh's reign described in 2 
Ki. 21:1-9, 16? 

15. What prediction is recorded in Vs. 10- 
14, and why? V. 15. 

16. What later prediction by Huldah, the 
prophetess, and why? 2 Ki. 22 :14-20. 

17. Can you name any kings who tried to re- 
form Israel or Judah ? 

18. What great prophets sought to reform 
Israel, and Judah ? 



92 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

19. For what cause, thrice mentioned in 
Eom. 1 :24-28, did God give them up ? 

20. Is it safe or right for a Christian to 
many one who is not ? 2 Cor. 6 :14. 



NOTES 

1. Idolatrous Israel is exhibited in lesson 12 in 
figurative language, the application of which is easily 
seen. In this lesson literal descriptions of her idolatry 
trace its causes, beginnings, development and results 
down through the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. A 
careful reading of the history of Israel from the 
time of Moses down to the captivities would give a 
fuller realization of the persistency of this sin than 
can be given by the comparatively few passages which 
can be included in these two lessons. 

2. The reason why idolatry is so great a sin is that 
it is all-inclusive. It is the first step taken toward all 
other sins. So long as one worships Jehovah he is 
powerfully restrained from sinning against him in any 
way. It is only when one rejects God that he can cut 
loose from this restraint. Unless conscience can be 
stified he cannot free himself from the inward con- 
sciousness of responsibilit}^ to some superior being. 
Satan therefore offers all sorts of substitutes for God, 
with all manner of alluring enticements with which to 
quiet the conscience. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTEEN 93 

3. The reason why idolatry is so repugnant to God 
is that he is endeavoring to secure the unswerving 
loyalty of men to himself and his Son, as the right- 
ful rulers of the world, because he can thus secure 
to mankind the greatest possible blessing and happi- 
ness. To defeat this purpose of God, and to secure 
and hold the allegiance of men to himself, is Satan's 
plan — not for their blessing, but for their destruction. 
As long as he has the adherence and service of a 
majority of the people he is the ruling force in the 
world. He cannot be dethroned and Christ made 
King without breaking the world's allegiance to him 
and securing it for Christ, or such a part of it as will 
make Christ dominant. Idolatry is therefore tlie 
greatest menace to tlie reign of Christ. 

4. God cannot use the same means of securing ad- 
herents that Satan uses, for Satan depends wholly 
upon lying and deception for success in winning men, 
and God cannot lie. Instead, he warns men of Satan's 
devices and offers them genuine and lasting good ; 
manifesting the sincerity of his purpose by the gift 
of his own Son. ^^And I, if I he lifted up, tvill draw 
all men unto me/' 

5. Instead of posing as an object of worship him- 
self, Satan, with devilish cunning, hides behind the 
subterfuge of idolatry. But in reality men are 
worshiping and serving him if they have discarded the 
worship and service of the true God — no matter what 
they may say or think to the contrary. 

6. The essence of idolatry is, license — indulgence 
in sin under cover of religion. That is Satan's method 
of making sin respectable and quieting the conscience. 



94 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Shameful orgies often attend idol worship. The 
things that appeal to the natural man are the induce- 
ments held out by Satan to forsake God and take up 
with some substitute. Idolatry is therefore the sin 
of sins in that it opens the way to the committing of 
all other sins. In Israel one of the most conspicuous 
sins to which their idolatries led as a natural conse- 
quence was their disregard of the sign of the covenant 
with God — the keeping of the Sabbath. So far as we 
know God never made any covenant with any other 
nation, or gave any other nation such a sign. The 
covenant made with Noah was for the whole world, 
and the sig7i of that covenant was the rainbow. With 
the Sabbath gone other laws of God could be more 
easily broken. The depths of sin to which this course 
led are graphically described in Rom. 1 :24-31. 

7. Few of us realize that the great majority of man- 
kind is living in idolatry. One does not have to 
worship a visible image to be an idolater. Substitut- 
ing anything in God^s place is idolatry. Even 
covetousness is called idolatry in Col. 3:5. Moham- 
medanism, although professing the worship of the one 
true God, has so distorted his character as to make his 
worship practical idolatry. The Moslem faith is 
propagated with the sword, and its worship is charac- 
teristically heathen. Mormonism is its twin sister. 
The Mountain Meadow massacre is evidence of its kin- 
ship. Perhaps the most astounding tendency of 
modern German ^^Kultur" is to be found in the 
writings of Nietzsche. He openly advocates helping 
the Christian to ^^pass away.'' He says: '^ There is 
nothing obligatory about morality . . . The members 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTEEN 95 

of one group' may deceive, rob, kill those of another 
group without the slightest self-reproach . . . The 
task of the race is to create these Lords or Gods — if 
you cannot create a God, Zarathustra says, stop talk- 
ing of one." The recent war was the outcome of 
such teachings as this. 

8. The purest blood of the human race is concen- 
trated in the veins of the Jew. No other non-Christian 
people can compare with Israel in virility, mental 
acumen, persistency, vigor, morality, power to get 
wealth. Other peoples hate the Hebrew because they 
cannot compete with him. It required 2,500 years 
for the Almighty to develop this race and bring it into 
covenant relations to Himself — safeguarded with His 
own laws, and isolation from corrupting influences; 
and yet Israel broke down and forsook God. How, 
then, can any common race or individual ever hope to 
reach perfection through culture or development? 



LESSON FOURTEEN 

Israel in Exile 

The execution of judgment against the 
treacherous wife ; Banisliment until she 
repents. Literal and figurative proph- 
ecy fulfilled. Only a remnant returns. 
The rest tossed to and fro among the 
nations. 

"Wherefore I poured out my wrath upon them for 
the blood Avhich they had poured out upon the land, 
and because they had defiled it with their idols ; and I 
scattered them among the nations, and they were 
dispersed through the countries. 

Home reading: Deut. 32:1-43 

Class reading: 2 Ki. 17:1-23 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What warning did Moses give Israel in 
Deut. 4:25-28? 

96 



LESSON NUMBER FOURTEEN 97 

2. What further details are given in Deut. 
28:63-66? 

3. What reason for this is given in Deut, 

29:25-28? 

4. What did Jehovah say in Jer. 9:13-16? 

5. Why would he so scatter them? Jer. 
18:15-17. 

6. How did he refer to this in Eze. 20:23, 
24; 22:14,15? 

7. After the dispersion, what did he say of 
it in Eze. 36:17-19? 

8. What did Jehovah show to Jeremiah 
after the first deportation to Babylon? 
Jer. 24:1-3. 

9. What did he say of the good figs? 

Vs. 4-7. 

10. AVhatofthebadfigs? Vs. 8-10. 

11. To whom and when did Jeremiah send 
a letter? Jer. 29:1-5. 



98 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

.12. What were they told to do, and ^Yhat 
should they have ? Vs. 5-7. 

13. What promise was made to them ? Vs. 
10-14. 

14. What about those still in Palestine"? 
V. 15-19. 

15. What of false prophets in Babylon? 
V. 8, 9, 21-23. 

16. What tribes of Israel were first carried 
away? 1 Chr. 5-25, 26. Why and 
where ? 

17. What tribes were next deported, why 
and where? 2 Ki. 17:1-7, 12. 

18. In what two deportations was Judah re- 
moved, and where? 2 Ki. 24:8:16, 
25 :8-ll. 

19. By whose proclamation were the ^^good 
figs ' ' permitted to return, and why ? 
Ezra 1 :l-4. 

20. What will Israel do ^4n the latter 
days?'' Deut. 4:30, 31. 



LESSON NUMBER FOURTEEN 99 

NOTES 

1. '^Hear, heavens, and give ear, earth; for 
Jehovah hath spoken : I have nourished and brought 
up children, and they have rebelled against me. 
.... Ah sinful nation, a people laden with in- 
iquity, a seed of evil doers, children that deal cor- 
ruptly! they have forsaken Jehovah, they have 
despised the Holy One of Israel.'' 

The remainder of the first chapter of Isa. describes 
the pitiable condition into which Israel had brought 
herself by her estrangement from JehovaJi — from the 
sole of the foot even unto the head there is no sound- 
ness. ^ In contrast with this, chap. 2 :l-4 pictures her 
condition in the ''latter days" of exaltation among the 
nations, which will follow her return to Jehovah. 
But there is an age of suffering between them. 

2. Only a few of the leading passages of prediction 
regarding the exile of Israel, or of the history of the 
return of a remnant of Judah after a captivity of 70 
years, can be considered in these lessons. After the 
division of Solomon's kingdom into the kingdoms of 
Israel and Judah — the northern and southern king- 
doms, the northern kingdom declined, with slight re- 
forms, until in 742 B.C. Tilgath Pileser conquered 
and carried away the people of northeastern Palestine. 
His successor, Shalmanezer, conquered and trans- 
ported the remainder of the ten tribes to the same 
regions 22 years later. The deportation of the first 
10,000 of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar occurred 122 
years later, or 600 b.c. These were taken to Babylon. 
Eleven years later the temple and city were burned, 



100 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

the walls broken down and all but the poorest people 
taken to Babylon. 

The locations to which Israel and Judah w^ere taken 
should be noted on the map, as this will aid in under- 
standing situations in future lessons, as well as in this. 
Although the Jews were first taken to Babylon they 
were evidently distributed among the provinces of the 
kingdom. 

3. The purpose of God in the exile of his people 
from his land was to purge away the dross, Eze. 
22:18-22 says: ''Son of man, the house of Israel is 
become dross unto me : all of them are brass and tin 
and iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace ; they 
are the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord 
Jehovah: Because ye are all become dross, therefore, 
l)ehold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 
As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead 
and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the 
fire upon it, to melt it'' — so he would melt them with 
the fire of his wrath. Isa. 1:22, 25 says, ''Thy silver 
is become dross ... I will turn my hand upon thee, 
and thoroughly purge away thy dross, and will take 
away thy tin.'' The "good figs" were the "silver," 
the "bad figs" the "dross." They were the idolaters. 
They were not cured of idolatry by their exile. Those 
w^ho returned to Palestine after 70 years were the 
"good figs" of Jer. 24:5, 6, who had been enjoined 
in 29 :6 to multiply, and to whom in V. 10 the promise 
was given of being brought back to Jerusalem. No 
such promise was given to the "bad figs," but "I will 
pursue after them ^^dth the sword, and with famine, 
and pestilence ... to be tossed to and fro among all 



LESSON NUMBER FOURTEEN 101 

the kingdoms of the earth/' During the long period 
of the existence of the northern and southern king- 
doms, many of the better class among the northern 
tribes migrated to Judah to escape the more corrupt- 
ing influences in the north, so that there were doubt- 
less representatives of all the tribes among the ' ' good 
figs." 

4. In Jer. 24 :4-7 Jehovah said that he had sent these 
10,000 of the first deportation to the land of the Chal- 
deans, for good; that he had set his eyes upon iliem for 
good; that he would bring them again to that land; 
would build them up, and give them a heart to know 
him — for they would return to him with their whole 
heart. Prosperity should follow them in their exile. 
He multiplied them so that on their return 70 years 
later there w^re about 50,000 of them. The ^^bad 
figs'' who were left in Palestine had to endure the 
awful experiences of war, siege, destruction of homes 
and cruel bondage, and be tossed to and fro among 
the nations to the end of the age. There is to be a 
final regathering of a remnant of all Israel, which we 
will study in future lessons. 

5. There are indications scattered through the Bible, 
and in history, that point to Babylon as the place 
where idolatry originated. There is no mention of 
idolatry previous to the building of Babel. The 
tower which was to reach to heaven was evidently 
designed as a refuge from future floods ; and the whole 
effort seems to indicate a revolt against God and sub- 
stitutions for his providence. It was of such serious 
nature as to call down a special visitation of God's 
wrath, the confounding of language and dispersion 



102 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

of the people. Ruins of that tower still stand ; and it 
is said that great masses of the excellent brickwork are 
melted together as though by a strange fire from 
heaven. Jer. 50:38 says of Babylonia, ''for it is a 
land of graven images, and they are mad over idols.' ^ 

Israel had rejected Jehovah, and had chosen to wor- 
ship idols. God, therefore, drove them from the land 
which he had chosen to honor with his special pres- 
ence, and into the land which was specially given over 
to idolatry. 

6. There are many prophecies of the exile and dis- 
persion of Israel, and many of a final return, but only 
a few of the return after 70 years. The history of 
that return is given in the book of Ezra. But this 
remnant never became an independent kingdom. It 
rejected the kingship of Jesus, and was then dispersed 
among the nations till they are ready to say ''Blessed 
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; blessed 
is the King of Israel." 



LESSON FIFTEEN 

Israel's Exemy 

Amalekj Esau^s grandson. His first attack 
on -Israel. God's judgment upon him. 
Saul's failure to execute it. Feudal re- 
lations in foreign lands. The settings 
of a great tragedy. 

And Jehovah said unto Moses, Write this for a 
memorial in a book . . . that I will utterly blot out 
the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven . . . 
Jehovah hath sworn: Jehovah will have war with 
Amalek from generation to generation. 



Home readings: Esther, chap. 1- 
Glass reading: 1 Sam. 15:1-35 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 
1. Who was Amalek? Gen. 36:12. 



2. What were his descendents called? 
Num. 13:29; Jud. 10:12. 

103 



104 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. What were they somtimes called ? Num. 
24:20. 

, 4. What did they do to Israel after the es- 
cape from Egypt ? Ex. 17 :8-13. 

5. What judgment was then spoken on 
Amalek, and called to remembrance 40 
years later? Ex. 17:14-16; Deut. 
25:17-19. 

6. What prophecy was Balaam compelled 
to utter of Amalek ? Num. 24 :20. 

7. Who, 450 years after Amalek 's attack, 
was commissioned to execute God's de- 
cree? 1 Sam. 15:1-3. 

8. What besides the people was he com- 
manded to destroy, and how did he fail 
in this? Vs. 3, 7-9. 

9. What evidence of Saul's failure is 
found in 1 Sam. 30:1, 2, 17? 

10. How was he punished for his disobedi- 
ence ? 1 Sam. 15 :17-23 ; 28 :17, 18. 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTEEN 105 

11. What remarkable statement did Jeho- 
vah make in Mai. 1:2-4, and what 
reasons are given for it in Rom. 9 : 11-13, 
andOba. 10, 11? 

12. B}^ whom, and to what extent was Esau 
to be cut off? Oba. 17, 18. 

13. What is Esau called, and why, in Heb. 
12:16? 

14. What descendent of Esau-Amalek-Agag 
was promoted to the prime-ministry of 
the Medo-Persian empire, more than 
1,000 years after Amalek's attack? Est. 
3:1. 

15. What relative of King Saul, and now a 
member of Xerxes' Supreme Court, re- 
fused to recognize his prime minister? 
1 Sam. 9 :3 ; Est. 2 :5 ; 3 :2-4 ; 2 Sam. 16 :5. 

16. What did Haman seek to do, and what 
bribe did he offer ? Est. 3 :5, 6, 9. 

17. What royal decree did he secure, and 
how was it celebrated ? Est. 3 :12-15. 



106 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

18. What did another relative of King Saul 
become? Est. 2:7,17. 

19. What is Haman called in Est. 3 :10 ; 8 :1 ; 
9:24? • 

20. What did he have made for Mordecai? 

Est. 5 :14. 



NOTES 

1. The descendants of Esau were brigands. It 
seemed to be in their blood to rob and murder, to lie 
in wait, or to make raids upon the helpless, for plun- 
der. Esau sold their birth-right when he sold his 
own; and, like him, they cherished revenge on the 
purchaser and his heirs. Amalek, Esau's grandson, 
and his descendents were especially bitter in their 
hatred. They hastened to attack the Israelites soon 
after the passage of the Red Sea. Israel was doubt- 
less poorly armed, and encumbered with all their 
possessions. Their wives and children and the aged 
and helpless were following in the rear. It was upon 
this weak and feeble folk that Amalek made his das- 
tardly attack, instead of upon the armed men at the 
front. It was this mean, sneaking attack, evidently 
inspired by racial hatred, that brought down the curse 
of God upon them. 

2. Some have inferred from Gen. 14j5-7 that the 
Amalekites could not have been the descendants of 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTEEN 107 

Esau, because the occurrence there mentioned was be- 
fore Esau's time. But upon careful examination of 
the text it becomes evident that the historian, writing 
long after the event, calls the land where certain 
wandering tribes had once roamed ^^the country of 
the Amalekites," for identification only. At the time 
the account was written, this country was still knoAvn 
as the country of the Amalekites. Five other 
localities are mentioned and the tribe inhabiting each 
locality is named. EdcJi of these five tribes is said 
to have been smitten. But the nomadic tribes of the 
desert are not named, and only the country they oc- 
cupied is said to have been smitten. Obviously there 
were no Amalekites to be smitten at the time the 
incident occurred. The statements in this passage 
are similar to those in Ex. 36 :20, 21 where the sons 
of Seir are said to be ^^the inhabitants of the land"; 
but the land is called ^^the land of Edom,'' although 
it had previously been known as the land of Seir and 
the sons of Seir still inhabited it. 

3. Of only one man is it said in the Bible that God 
hated him. This seems so inconsistent with our con- 
ception of God that we might question the correctness 
of the statement of Mai. 1 :3 if it were not quoted 
in Rom. 9 :11-13, with the added implication that his 
hatred was not based on anything Esau had done. It 
was something inborn — the outcropping of devilish 
characteristics — a reversion of type perhaps — which 
God saw and hated before Esau was born. His color 
was red — the same as the dragon of Rev. 12 :3, 9. His 
descendants evinced the most bitter hatred of Israel. 
A descendant of no other people could be so appropri- 



108 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

ately designated ''the Jews' enemy.'' But we must 
not forget that the real instigator of this enmity, and 
the cause of Esau's departure from the normal, even 
before his birth, and the actual plotter of the tragedy 
of the book of Esther, was the red dragon himself — 
''the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan." 
(Rev. 12:29; 20:2.) It was to checkmate the plots 
of Satan and make his chosen or ''elect" people safe 
from Satan's too willing tool, Amalek, that the doom 
of Amalek was decreed and written in a book. 

4. King Saul, 450 years later, was commissioned to 
execute this decree. It must be for punishment and 
not for plunder. Saul must not lay hands on the 
spoil. But under the pretext of a religious motive, 
he allowed his army to round up some of the cattle, 
and let some of the Amalekites escape. Agag their 
king w^as captured, but his sons probably escaped — 
likely on camels, as 400 did later. (1 Sam. 30, 17.) 
They would bitterly hate the house of Saul. It was an 
Amalekite who later claimed to have killed Saul, and 
who brought Saul's crown to David, hoping reward, 
but receiving death for it. 

5. More than 500 years later, Saul's sin nearly cost 
the life of his nation. Israel and all neighboring 
nations, including all Edomites, had been scattered 
over the provinces of the Babylonian empire about 
125 years before this. Only a remnant of Judah, 
50,000, had returned to Jerusalem 50 years before. 
Most of them were still in the East. Mordecai sat 
in the king's gate. Since the oriental court of jus- 
tice w^as "in the gate" of the city, the "king's gate" 
would naturally correspond with a modern supreme 



LESSON NUMBER" FIFTEEN 109 

court, and to ^'sif in it would indicate a similar seat 
on the ''bench'' of the supreme court. For one oc- 
cupying a position of such dignity and honor to refuse 
to recognize the prime minister would naturally be 
considered an extremely serious breach of court 
etiquette. 

But Mordecai, a Jew, of the house of Saul, would 
never bow to an Amalekite, an Agagite, even though 
he should die for his offence. Both patriotic and 
religious motives forbade his doing reverence to a 
bitter enemy of his own people, and particularly of 
his own house — the house of Saul, and on whom the 
curse of God rested. It was a matter, not of pride, 
but of principle. No! lie would not how! 

6. ''The great red dragon" had worked out a 
mighty scheme for the anniliilation of Israel, "When 
Haman was informed of the people of Mordecai" — 
probably national and family relations — his rage knew 
no bounds short of the extermination of the race. 
With a bribe of over $16,000,000 he secured an edict 
from the king for the wholesale massacre of the Jews, 
and the privilege of taking all their property for 
plunder. This would exactly suit an Amalekite. 
The opportunity had come to wreak vengeance on the 
house of Jacob, and on the house of Saul; and the 
prey they would take would more than repay the bribe. 
The hour seemed to have come to strike the death blow 
to their ancestral enemy. 



LESSON SIXTEEN 

The Death Blow 

The counter plot. Satan outwitted. Jeho- 
vah as an avenging God. Haman 
hanged on his own gallows. The sword 
falls on Esau-Amalek, not on Israel. 
Mordecai Prime Minister, Esther 
co-regent, on the throne. 

Because thou hast had a perpetual enmity^ and hast 
given the children of Israel to the power of the 
sword . . . tJierefore, as I live, I will prepare thee 
unto blood. (Eze. 35:5.) For my sword shall come 
down upon . . . the people of my curse. (Isa. 34:5.) 

Home reading: Esther, chap. 6-10 

Class reading: Jer. 49:7-22 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. How is Jehovah described in Nah. 1 :2 ? 

2. What, in Vs. 9, 10, of those who devise 
against him ? 

110 



LESSON NUMBER SIXTEEN 111 

3. What, in V. 7, of those that take refuge 
in him? 



4. What did Mordecai do when he knew 
what Hainan had done? Est. 4:1, 6, 7. 

5. What did he send to Esther, and what 
did he charge her to do ? V. 8. 

6. ^Tiy was this a very dangerous thing 
for her to do ? V. IL Note 2. 

7. What did Mordecai say to this? Vs. 
13, 14. 

8. What did they then agree to do? Vs. 
15-17. 

9. How did Esther win the king's heart 
and entrap Haman ? Est. chap. 5. 

10. How did God honor Mordecai and dis- 
honor Haman? Est. 6:1-12. 

11. What did Haman 's wife then predict, 
and why? V. 13. 



112 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. What was Esther's petition, and how 
was Haman caught by it? Est. 7:1-6. 

13. What was done with Haman ? Vs. 9, 10. 

14. Wliat second request did Esther make ? 
Est. 8:3-6. 

15. What great privilege and authority 
were then given her ? V. 8. 

16. What counter edict did they send out, 
and what about the spoil ? Vs. 9-14. 

17. How was Mordecai greatly honored, and 
how were the people affected? Vs. 
15-17. 

18. What was the result of this counter 
edict? Est. 9:1-19. What about the 
prey? 

19. What feast, then instituted, is still kept, 
and by whose authority? Vs. 20-32. 



LESSON NUMBER SIXTEEN 113 

NOTES 

1. Although Amalek brought down God^s curse by 
his unprovoked attack upon Israel in their flight from 
Egypt, several T. passages indicate that the whole 
house of Esau was involved in the coming destruc- 
tion, and not the Amalek branch alone. After the 40 
years of wilderness wandering Israel asked permission 
to pass through the land of Edom, but was refused 
and compelled to go a long way around. (Num. 
20:14-21.) Through the following 1,000 years the 
Edomites were often at war with Israel, and a number 
of striking prophecies are recorded against them. The 
lesson reading refers to their punishment by Nebu- 
chadnezzar and indicates their irreparable ruin as a 
nation and country. ^'AU the cities thereof shall be 
perpetual wastes." Other peoples should return 
again, but not Edom. Their cities are still in ruins. 

In Amos 1:11, 12 Jehovah says: ''I will not turn 
away the punishment thereof; because lie did pursue 
This brother with the sword . . . and his anger did 
tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever : But 
I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the 
palaces of Bozrah." 

''Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the vio- 
lence done fo the children of Judali, because they have 
shed innocent blood in their land." (Joel 3:17). 

''For my sword . . . shall come down upon Edom, 
and upon the people of my curse, to judgment . . . 
for Jehovah hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great 
slaughter in the land of Edom." (Isa. 34:5, 6.) 

But Eze. 25 :12-14 cannot refer to what Nebuchad- 



114 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

nezzar did, for ^'Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: 
Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of 
Judah by taking vengeance ... I will lay my ven- 
geance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel/' 
As this prophecy was written during the captivity, 
it can hardly refer to any other occasion than the 
destruction brought on by Haman. Amalek seems 
to have been utterly exterminated at that time; but 
there are intimations of a small remnant of Edomites 
who escaped. 

2. The laws of the Medes and Persians pro- 
hibited a woman of any other nationality from be- 
coming ^^ queen mother.'' No foreign blood was to 
enter into the line of their kings. It was doubt' 
less for this reason that Mordecai commanded Esther 
not to reveal her nationality, or her kindred. And 
so the crown was placed upon her head. (Est. 2:17.) 
This, as well as the king's seeming neglect of her, 
caused her terror when Mordecai charged her to go 
before the king and plead for her people — involving 
the confession that she was not entitled to the crown 
according to the irrevocable laws of the Medes and 
Persians. Her throne and her life were in jeopardy. 

But to refuse to do so involved both herself and 
people in almost certain death. 

3. At the time of Haman 's plot Esther had been 
queen about five years. It seems from Est. 4:11 that, 
although the royal crown had been placed on her 
head, the king had not associated her with himself 
in the government of the empire. But from Est. 
8 :8, 15, it appears that he then advanced both Esther 
and Mordecai to actual participation in the govern- 



LESSON NUMBER SIXTEEN 115 

ment, with permission to write their own decrees and 
seal them with the king's ring. 

4. According to the laws of the Medes and Per- 
sians, no decree from the throne could be revoked. 
It was a sort of declaration of the infallibility of the 
emperor. Doubtless the situation appeared hopeless 
for the Jews. But God was holding the reins of 
government and directing even the forces of evil to 
their own destruction. And as King Saul had failed 
to carry God's decree of destruction into execution, 
two members of the house of Saul must now stand 
in the breach, to the jeopardy of their own lives, and 
save his people from retaliating hate and threatened 
destruction. They must devise some way of escape. 
But he also put them in positions of power by which 
a way of escape could be seen and utilized. They 
were even authorized to word a decree and seal it 
with imperial authority. The only escape in view was 
through royal permit to self defence, whereby the 
scales were turned and the death-blow fell on Amalek 
instead of on Israel. 

5. King Saul's disobedience in flying upon the 
spoil of the Amalekites had cost him his throne. In 
the edict granting the Jews permission to defend 
themselves and slay their enemies, it was specified that 
they might take the spoil of them for a prey. If 
Haman could offer a bribe of $16,000,000 to secure the 
death-warrant of Israel, it is easy to see what a tempta- 
tion to a Jew such a permit might be. Yet in all the 
realm of Xerxes not a Jew laid hands of the spoil. 
They had not forgotten Saul's mistake which had made 
their present peril possible, and would not risk a 



116 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

repetition of his act, even though they were granted 
permission to do so. The statement is three times 
made, ^^biit on the spoil tliey laid not tlieir hand/' 

6. The notorious Jukes family illustrates the per- 
sistence of bad blood, like Esau's. '^Jukes' children 
and grandchildren, through several generations, . . . 
nearly all figured in the courts as criminaW — com- 
mitting crimes of every kind and degree. 

Among stockmen the '^ unfit" go to the butcher. 
Among horticulturists the unfit go to the fire. ^^The 
house of Jacob shall be a fire, . . . and the house of 
Esau stubble, and they shall burn among them, and 
devour them; and there shall not be any remaining 
to the house of Esau; for Jehovah hath spoken it/^ 



LESSON SEVENTEEN 

The First Adyext 

Prophecies fulfilled in the coming of the 
Babe of Bethlehem; His virgin birth; 
the plots of Satan to destroy or defeat 
him; His ministry of teaching and 
healing; His rejection and crucifixion; 
His resurrection and ascension. 

The Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a 
virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call 
his name Immanuel. (Isa.) 

Now all this is come to pass, that it might be ful- 
filled which was spoken by the Lord through the 
prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with 
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call 
his name Immanuel, which is, being interpreted, God 
with us. (Mt.) 

Ho7ne readings: Mt. 1:18-25; Lu. 1:26-38. 
Class reading: Isa. 52:13-15; 53:1-12. 

117 



118 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 



QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. Who is said to fulfil Gen. 22 :18, in Gal. 
3:16? 

2. Whose son was he according to Psa. 
132:11, Acts 13:23; Rom. 1:3? 



3. Where was he to be born ? Mic. 5 :2, Mt. 
2:1? 



4. What prophecy in Jer. 31 :15 is fulfilled 
in Mt. 2:16, 17? 

5. What prophecy is fulfilled in Mt. 2 :15 ? 
Hos. 11:1. 

6. By whom was he to be preceded? Isa. 
40:3; Mai. 3:1; Mt. 3:1-3. 

7. What was predicted in Isa, 11 :1, 2 ; 42 :1, 
and when fulfilled? Mt. 3:16, 17; Acts 
10:38. 

8. What prophecy did Jesus quote in Lu. 
4:16-19 as applying to himself? Isa. 
61:1,2. 



LESSON NUMBER SEVENTEEN 119 

9. What prophecy was fulfilled according 
to Mt. 12:15-20? Isa. 42:1-4? 

10. What, according to Mt. 13:13-15? Isa. 
6:9, 10. 

11. What prophecy did Jesus quote, and to 
whom did he apply it in Lu. 4:17-21? 
Isa. 61 :1, 2a. 

12. Why did he not quote V. 2b, and the re- 
mainder of the chapter? Note 4. 

13. Whom did he quote in Jn. 12 ; 37-41, and 
why, and of whom did he speak? Isa. 
53:1; 6:9, 10. 

14. Of whom did Jesus say Isaiah prophe- 
sied in Mt. 15 :7-9 ? Isa. 29 :13. 

15. What did he quote in Mt. 21 ; 42 ; Mk. 12 : 
10, 11 ; Lu. 20 : 17, 18 ? Psa. 118 :22, 23. 

16. What is said of the ^ ^ stone '^ in Dan. 2: 
31-35? 

17. What scriptures were fulfilled in Jn. 19 : 
24, 36, 37? Psa. 22:16-18; Ex. 12:46; 
Zech. 12 :10. 



120 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

18. Find the prophecies wliich were fulfilled 
in Mt. 27 :34-46 by marginal references 
or use of concordance. 

19. How was Isa. 53 :9 fulfilled ? Mt. 27 :57^ 
60. 

20. How were Psa. 16:9, 10 and 68:18 ful- 
filled? Lu. 24:6, 51. 



NOTES 

1. A characteristic of the prophecies regarding the 
coming and life of Jesus as recorded in the gospels 
is that they are largely made up of disconnected state- 
ments scattered through the Psalms and prophetic 
writings of the 0. T. Some of these passages could 
liardly have been interpreted with any degree of ac- 
curacy before their fulfilment; and some might read- 
ily escape notice even now, if it were not for the state- 
ments of our Lord, or the gospel records, that these 
passages were fulfilled by certain events. They were 
evidently intended for use as signs for the identifica- 
tion of the MessiaJi when he should come, rather than 
for giving preconcepts of him to people who would 
have no opportunity to see their fulfilment, and to 
whom these details could be of little concern. 

But familiarity with all the prophecies and Psalms 
was essential to their identification of him by these 



LESSON NUMBER SEVENTEEN 121 

signs when he came. It is evident from Jn. 2 :14-17 
that the disciples were familiar wdth them, for when 
Jesus cleansed the temple they rememhered that it was 
written, ''Zeal for thy house shall eat me up" — and 
at once recognized that this applied to Jesus. But the 
Jews about the temple did not remember, evidently, 
for in the very next verse we are told that they asked 
Jesus for a sign. Jesus complied by giving them a 
sign which even the disciples did not understand until 
it was fulfilled at his resurrection. Then they re- 
membered. But there w^as one sign which even they 
did not recognize at the time of fulfilment, although 
they participated in it; for, according to Jn. 12:16, 
^' These things understand not his disciples at the first : 
but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they 
that these things were written of him, and tJiat they 
had done these things unto him. ' ' 

2. It can hardly be to the discredit of even the O. 
T. prophets themselves that they did not seem to dis- 
criminate between a first and a second coming of the 
Messiah, if their own predictions of his first coming 
were only to be recognized after they were fulfilled, 
and then mainly as means of identification ; and since, 
also, the possibility of the acceptance of Jesus as the 
Messiah by the Jews might make a second coming 
unnecessary ; or, at least, that ignorance of such neces- 
sity would make their rejection of him inexcusable. 
But they were not excusable for their ignorance of 
what the prophets had written, even if they could 
not understand their application. 

Although Jesus was constantly fulfilling the 0. T. 
signs by which he was to be identified, the scribes 



122 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

and Pharisees were saying to him, '^We would see a 
sign from thee'' (Mt. 12:38), or the Pharisees and 
Sadducees asking him to show them a sign (16:1) — 
or the Jews, ^^What sign showest thou unto us'' (Jn. 
2:18), and even after witnessing the feeding of the 
5,000 they said to him, ''What sign doest thou?" 
Jesus told the Pharisees and Sadducees (Mt. 16 :3) that 
while they could discern the signs of the weather, they 
could not discern the signs of the times, Paul (1 Cor. 
2:8) says that if the rulers had known this hidden 
wisdom ^Hhey would not have crucified the Lord of 
glory." He further shows that these things are re- 
vealed only by the Spirit, so that only those who 
would listen to the Spirit could understand. This is 
also indicated in Mt. 16:17 — ''flesh and blood hath 
not revealed it unto thee. ' ' 

3. In contrast with these identifying signs, prophe- 
cies of the first advent, and their comparative meager- 
ness — the prophecies of the second coming of Christ 
are abundant, and not of the nature of signs, except 
those pre-advent signs by which we are to know that 
he is ''near, even at the door." "When he comes there 
will be no need of signs to enable us to recognize him, 
for he will then appear in power and great glory, un- 
mistakable as to his identity. Still, even with these 
more definite and literal prophecies of the second com- 
ing, it is impossible to interpret every detail with dog- 
matic certainty. But it is much easier to construct a 
general outline of events of the second coming than it 
would have been to do so of the first coming before it 
occurred. 

4. One of the most striking of the sign prophecies 



LESSON NUMBER SEVENTEEN 123 

is found in Isa. 7 :14, after Jehovah had told Ahaz to 
ask a sign of him, and Ahaz had refused to ask. 
There is nothing said to explain what the sign was to 
indicate. But since Ahaz would not ask, ''Therefore 
the Lord himself will give you a sign ; behold a virgin 
shall conceive, ' ' etc. It remained for the angel Gabriel 
to indicate to Mary who this child should be. The 
angel gave the shepherds a sign by wiiich they should 
identify the Christ child. Jesus began his first public 
address in Nazareth by reading his identifying creden- 
tials and declaring that they were fulfilled in him. 
But it is very significant that he read only that part 
of the prophecy which applied to his first coming, 
stopping in the middle of a sentence, when he closed 
the hook and gave it back to the attendant, and sat 
down. The remainder of the passage refers very dis- 
tinctly to his future coming in judgment. This is 
another instance, like the 240 years mentioned in the 
lesson on Tyre, in which intervening time is ignored. 
In this instance more than 1900 years hide behind a 
comma. This was not known before Jesus indicated 
it. 

5. This lesson differs from others in that nearly 
every question requires two or more quotations to 
answer it — one the sign prophecy, the other its fulfil- 
ment. There are two instances, at least, in the 0. T. 
where individuals are specified by name many years 
before their birth. 1 Ki. 13 :l-3 predicts what King 
Josiah would do more than 330 years later, and gives 
a sign. A similar prediction was made of Cyrus, even 
more specific, in Isa. 44 :24-28 ; 45 : 1-4, and in which 
even the method by which Cyrus would take Babylon 



124 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

at least 150 years later was indicated. Few predic- 
tions of the first advent are as definite as these. There 
are many other predictions, not used in this lesson, 
specified in the N. T. as referring to Christ or his 
deeds, or to incidents occurring in his life, such as his 
poverty, his miracles, the hatred of the Jews, his rejec- 
tion, betrayal for 30 pieces of silver, the potter's field, 
and others. Look them up from marginal references 
or Concordance. 



LESSON EIGHTEEN 

The Fixal Dispersion 

The destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, and 
scattering of the Jews to all lands ; the 
sorrows which should befall them as a 
result of their rejection of Jesus, which 
are to continue until his return. 

His blood be on us and on our children. (The 
Jews.) 

Some of them ye shall kill and crucify . . . 
that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed 
on the earth. . . . Behold your house is left unto 
you desolate. (Jesus.) 

Home readings: Deut. 28:52-68; Eze. 37:1- 
28; Jer. 30: 1-11. 

Class reading: Lu. 19:41-20:18. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What did Jesus say that generation 
would do? Lu. 17:25. 

125 



126 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. When did they finally reject him? Lu. 
23 :18-21. 

3. What a^Yful curse did they voluxitarily 
assume? Mt. 27:24, 25. 

4. What other blood had Jesus said would 
be required of them? Lu. 11:47-51. 
Mt. 23 :35, 36. 

5. How did the rulers of the Jews later try 
to evade this curse? Acts 5:27, 28. 

6. With what deed did Peter then charge 
them, and after what assertion ? V. 30. 

7. In the parable of the pounds, Lu. 19 :14, 
27, how did Jesus picture them and their 
fate? 

8. What final judgment had Jesus inti- 
mated for them in Mt. 23:33? 

9. What did Jesus do and say in Lu. 19 :41-- 
44, and why ? 

10. What did he say of Jerusalem in Mt. 23 : 
37, 38 ; Lu. 13 :34, 35 ; 21 :6 ; Mk. 13 :2 ? 



LESSON NUMBER EIGHTEEN 127 

11. How should they know when this desola- 
tion is at hand ? Lu. 21 :20. 

12. What did Daniel predict of this desola- 
tion? Dan. 9:26:27. 

13. What sign for flight did Jesus give to 
his disciples ? Mt. 24 :15-17 ; Lu. 21 :21. 

14. A¥hat are these days said to be, and why f 
Lu. 21 :22. 

] 5. What is said of the land and people ? V. 
23. 

16. What would become of them? V. 24a. 

17. How long should Jerusalem be trodden 
down? V. 24b. 

18. What signs in Ys. 25-27 seem to indicate 
the end of that time as near ? 

19. What other signs should first come ? Ys. 
10, 11. 

20. What is said of the nations, and of 
Israel, in Jer. 30:11, 18? 



128 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

NOTES 

1. After the return of the 50,000— the ^^good figs" 
of Jer. 24 — from Babylon, they increased during the 
following 500 years until the land of Palestine was 
again well peopled. But its former glory had not 
returned. The 50,000 had been headed by Zorobabel, 
the son of Shealtiel, the son of King Jechonias. (Mt. 
1 :12. ) But he did not sit on the throne. He Avas still 
a vassal of Cyrus. From his time down to the time of 
Christ, Palestine never enjoyed real independence and 
self security, but was the scene of frequent wars and 
devastations. The central portion was still occupied 
by the Samaritans, with whom the Jews had no deal- 
ings. 

Although the Jews had withstood all allurements 
to idolatry and consistently held to the worship of 
the one true God, yet their worship had become heart- 
less formalism. Their religious leaders had gradually 
obscured the teachings of the Law and the Prophets 
with their expository writings, until the Talmud, 
along with a mass of oral traditions, had largely taken 
the place of the Word of God. ^'Ye have made void 
the word of God because of your tradition," said 
Jesus. (Mt. 15:6; Mk. 7:8, 9.) They were not able, 
therefore, to discern the signs of the times, and cruci- 
fied Him. 

2. The rejection of Jesus was of the same nature 
as the rejection of Jehovah by the mass of Israel 
many years before. Even these ''good figs" who had 
so strenuously avoided the idolatry which had caused 
their brethren to be scattered among the nations — 



LESSON NUMBER EIGHTEEN 129 

being given over to their idol worship, in which they 
have continued down to the present day — rejected the 
Son of God. This subjected them to the same con- 
demnation of destruction as a nation and dispersion 
among the nations; and their judgment was spoken 
by Jesus himself, as God's own verdict. The rulers of 
the Jews voluntarily assumed the responsibility of 
shedding Jesus' blood, and they and their children 
have been under their self-imposed curse ever since. 

3. We have noted in former lessons that in proph- 
ecy, time is often ignored. Events are predicted with 
no intimation as to when they are to occur, and often 
with no hint of intervals of time between events con- 
secutively stated. 

Another characteristic of prophetic predictions is 
that the same prediction sometimes applies to more 
than one fulfilment. The predictions of judgments of 
war, famine, pestilence, captivity and dispersion in 
Deut. 28 have been fulfilled time and again. 
These might be fulfilled any time the conditions 
were met. Like cause and effect, one followed the 
other. The ten tribes of Israel were the first to bring 
captivity and dispersion upon themselves. The ^^bad 
figs" of Judah followed them 150 years later, and 
the ''good figs" 670 years later still. All these dis- 
persions were to continue till the end of the *' times 
of the Gentiles." 

4. The destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion 
of the Jews not only fulfilled the 0. T. predictions, 
but also some of the saddest and most definite of our 
Lord's predictions. Jesus wept while speaking some 
of them. No wonder he wept, for the fulfilment of 



130 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

those predictions involved some of the most awful 
sufferings the world ever witnessed. For details see 
the writings of Josephus, or other history of those 
times. The motley mob of the rulers and the rabble 
of Jerusalem little dreamed what woes they were call- 
ing down upon themselves and their posterity, w^hen 
they cried in their hate and madness, ^^His blood be 
on us, and on our children.' ' 

5. "While the conditions and sufferings of the Jews 
in the siege of Jerusalem by Titus and probably not 
overdrawn by Josephus, his tendency to exaggeration 
and boastfulness is evident whenever the greatness of 
his people is involved. It is impossible that such a 
large number could have endured such a siege as he 
indicates in a city of the size of Jerusalem. It is said 
on good authority that there are but 230 acres within 
the present walls of the city, and that at no time have 
they included much more than a square mile. While 
this space was densely packed with buildings in nar- 
row streets, few of them could have been more than 
two or three stories high. On the East Side of New 
York it is said there is a square mile of the most dense 
population on earth — Jews also — packed into tall tene- 
ments, 400,000 of them. It is almost unbelievable that 
-five times as many people could have been packed into 
Jerusalem. But it must have been crowded to its 
limits at that time. 

6. Josephus records some strange portents. He 
says — ''they did not attend, nor give credit to the 
signs that were so evident, and which plainly foretold 
their future desolation.'' He speaks of a comet hang- 
ing like a sword over the city for a whole year; of 



LESSON NUMBER EIGHTEEN 131 

troops and chariots seen moving about in the clouds ; 
of the priests going into the inner court of the temple 
at Pentecost hearing a sound as of a multitude say- 
ing, ''Let us remove hence''; of a man named Jesus, 
the son of Ananus, going about the city and on the 
walls for seven years and five months crying: ''Wo, 
wo to Jerusalem, ' ' and other words of warning, and 
as, in the siege, he cried, "Wo, wo to myself also" ; he 
was instantly killed by a flying stone. 

7. It is said that the Christians living in Judea 
took heed to the sign which Jesus had given them in 
Lu. 21 :20, 21, and fled to the mountains ; and that no 
Christians perished in the siege. We will do well to 
heed the signs he has given us. 

8. A history of the Jew^s from the destruction of 
Jerusalem to the present time is a history of w^oe. 
Space forbids going into details. The recent war is 
worst of all. It is said that there were 400,000 Jews 
in the Russian armies, 250,000 in the German, and 
100,000 in the other armies. They were compelled to 
fight each otJier — for Gentile nations — wJiile their 
own homes were desolated and their families were 
perishing. Fully 100,000 have since perished in 
pogroms, and large numbers by famine. 

9. It is darkest just before the dawn. Already the 
way is opening for the Jews to return to their own 
land and again become a nation, of which there are 
many prophecies. These must be considered in later 
lessons. 



PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Part Three 

LESSONS NINETEEN TO TWENTY-SIX 

WORLD EMPIRES 

The great Gentile kingdoms in prophecy, 
their order of sequence, and relation to 
Israel and to the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Little is said in prophecy of other king- 
doms than Israel, except as Israel is affected 
by them. 

a. The lessons of Part 3 concern those 
kingdoms through which Israel was to be 
scattered during the Dispersion and until 
the time of final return to her own land. 
Lessons 15 and 16 indicate with what jealous 
care Jehovah watched over and preserved 
Israel from destruction. God has punished, 
or will yet punish, every nation which mis- 
treats his chosen people. The book of 
Daniel, written after the Dispersion began, 

133 



134 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

covers the age of the Dispersion or ^Himes 
of the Gentiles/' which is to last until the 
Kingdom of Heaven comes. 

b. ''The Prophecy of Daniel is the 
Apocalypse of the O. T., and bears a strik- 
ing resemblance to the Book of The Bev ela- 
tion. Unlike The Revelation^ however, 
Daniel was originally a sealed book. In the 
fourth verse of chapter 12, the Prophet was 
directed to ^shut up the words and seal the 
book, even to The Time of the End/ It is a 
significant fact that until recent times the 
Church has remained ignorant of this book. 
It would seem that God's purpose had been 
to keep His people from understanding the 
prophecies of Daniel until the End Time^ 
towards which the book constantly points.'' 
(Pettingill.) 

c. "The intimate connection between the 
book of Daniel and the Revelation of John 
must strike every reader of the holy Scrip- 
tures. They interpret each other, and to- 
gether constitute one grand system of 
prophecy, extending down to the end of the 
world." (Barrows' ^^ Companion to the 
Bible.") 

d. Faussett's ^^ Bible Cyclopedia" says: 
^^The prophecies (of Daniel) tally with 



WORLD EMPIRES 135 

those in Revelation. The judgment of the 
world given to the saints, and the destruc- 
tion of the blasphemous king at the Lord's 
coming foretold by Daniel, are further un- 
folded by Paul in 1 Cor. 6:2 and 2 Thess. 
2:3-12. Chapters 2-6 are largely histor- 
ical and include events which transpired 
after the events recorded in ch. 7, 8, which 
are grouped wath the other vision chapters, 
continuing through the book.'' 

e. ^^The name of Babylon stands for the 
oldest of earthly cities and the first and 
most illustrious of earthly empires. . . . 
According to its native etymology (Bab- 
El), it means 'The Gate of God/ Gates, in 
oriental times, were places of judgment. It 
was in the gates that authority spoke, 
whence the laws and ordinances were given 
out, and where causes were heard and de- 
cided . . . and it is a singular fact that the 
great prophet's judgment upon the succes- 
sion, career and final termination of worldly 
sovereignty w^as given out from the origi- 
nal head of world-empires, and from a 
primal capital whose very name denotes 
'The Gate of God/ Equally striking is the 
further fact that the holy prophet through 
whom these divine decisions and fore-an- 



136 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

nouncements were made, was not only an 
illustrious sage and courtier in this ' Gate of 
God/ but that his name (Dan-i-El) means 
'God's Judge/ Thus ... we have God's 
Judge in the Gate of God giving forth pre- 
determinations and decrees of God with re- 
gard to the whole course of earthly political 
power/' (Preface to ^^Voices from Baby- 
lon.") 

/. The book ^^Ezekiel and Daniel/' by 
Cowles, a post-millennialist, who advocates 
strictly figurative interpretation of proph- 
ecy wherever possible, applying it in some 
^^ spiritual" sense to the Church, in his dis- 
cussion of EzekieVs description of Millen- 
nial Palestine says : ' ' The literal interpreta- 
tion is exceedingly easy because the state- 
ments are entirely plain and definite, so that 
if this system is the right one, the signifi- 
cance of the entire vision is as plain as the 
English alphabet/' He then argues against 
this method, ^^ because it is absolutely pre- 
cluded and forbidden by the New Testa- 
ment." It would not fit in with the con- 
ception that it was intended for the Church. 
He therefore attempts to ' ^ spiritualize " this 
prophecy by vague generalizations about the 
Church, with no application of the very ex- 



WORLD EMPIRES 137 

plicit details of the prophecy. But he ac- 
knowledges that Daniel must he interpreted 
literally^ because it cannot be '^spiritual- 
ised/' Yet he endeavors to make it all fit 
into past Jiistory. 

g. There are many beautiful spiritual 
lessons to be drawn from the historical 
books of the Bible and the poetical writings. 
But a historical fact is none the less a fact 
because a spiritual lesson can be learned 
from it. Prophecy is pre-w^ritten history, 
and cannot be nullified by '^ spiritualizing '^ 
it. But ordinarily, this so-called ' ' spiritual- 
izing '' is only a covert method of making the 
Scriptures mean something entirely differ- 
ent from what is written. This is the method 
by which heretical teachings are propagated. 

li. "^o other book has been so much at- 
tacked as the Book of Daniel. . . . For 
about 2,000 years wicked men, heathen 
philosophers and infidels have hammered 
away against it ; but the Book of Daniel has 
proven to be an anvil upon which the critics' 
hammers have been broken into pieces. . . . 
No, the Book of Daniel is either Divine, or 
it is a colossal forgery and imposture. No 
middle ground is possible. . . . But the 
highest authority for this Book is our Lord. 



138 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

He speaks of 'Daniel the Prophet' (Mat- 
thew 24:15). No other witness is needed. 
Whosoever sets aside the Book of Daniel, 
rejects the infallible testimony of the son of 
God/' (''The Prophet Daniel/' Gabelein.) 

i. Prophecy only gives us glimpses of the 
future. "For now we see in a mirror, 
darkly; . . . now I know in part" (Paul). 
We are not to know in full until these 
prophecies are fulfilled. But that is no 
reason for shutting our eyes to that which is 
revealed. Christ quoted prophecy more than 
any other Scripture. In Mt. 24 :15 and Mk. 
13:14, in quoting Daniel he said, ''Let him 
that readeth understand/^ Daniel himself 
understood from prophecy when the Jews 
were to return to Jerusalem. In Dan. 9 :22, 
23, Gahriel instructed Daniel and told him 
to ' ' consider the matter, and understand the 
vision. ' ' 

Although Daniel was to seal up the vision, 
he sought to understand it (Dan. 8:15), and 
again Gabriel came "to make thee under- 
stand." (Dan. 10:12-14.) In Dan. 12:10 
he was told that ^^none of the wicked shall 
understand, but they that are wise shall 
understand/' We do not have Gabriel, but 
we have the Holy Spirit. "He shall guide 



WORLD EMPIRES 139 

you into all the truth . . . and he shall de- 
clare unto you the things that are to come." 
(Jn. 16:130 

j. ^^From Dan. 2:4 to 7:28 the Book of 
Daniel is written in Aramaic, the ancient 
language of Syria, and substantially iden- 
tical with Chaldaic, the language of ancient 
Babylonia. ... It has often been pointed 
out that the Chaldaic of Daniel is of high 
antiquity, as is shown by comparison with 
that of the Targums. ... It is noteworthy 
that the Aramaic section is precisely that 
part of Daniel w^hich most concerned the 
peoples amongst whom he lived, and to w^hom 
a prophecy written in Hebrew would have 
been unintelligible. The language returns 
to Hebrew in the predictive portions which 
have to do with the future of Israel. ' ' ( Sco- 
field Bible, foot note.) 

k. Our lessons so far have been of verbal 
prophecies in either literal or figurative 
terms. In Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation, 
we find in addition to verbal predictions, 
visions and dreams. Isaiah, Zechariah and 
others also had visions, but they are not so 
predominant in their writings. In all cases, 
sufficient interpretation is given with the 
vision or dream to guide in its further study. 



140 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Caution is needed against disregard of 
Scriptural suggestions and the substitution 
of human theories in their place. We must 
not be wise above that which is written. 



LESSON NINETEEN 

A Great Dream 

Disclosing a great king and a great 
prophet. A dream- vision of the great 
world empires given to the first and 
greatest of Gentile emperors and inter- 
preted by one of the greatest of Jewish 
prophets. 

Thou, King, art king of kings, unto whom the God 
of heaven hath given the kingdom . . . thou art the 
head of gold. (Daniel.) 

Home readings: Notes under Part Three; 
Dan. 1:1-20; 2:1-24. 

Class reading: Dan. 2:25-49. 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. Who was Daniel? Dan. 1:1-4, 6. 

2. When and why was he taken to Baby- 
lon % Y.l and notes. 

141 



142 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. What special training did he and his 
three friends receive^ and wliy ? Vs. 4, 5. 

4. With what standing did they graduate ? 
Vs. 18-20. 

5. What, in jjart, accounts for tliis? Ys. 
8-16. 

6. What had God given them? Y. 17. 

7. Wlio dreamed, and forgot, a dream? 
Dan. 2 :1, 5a, 8, 

8. Who could not tell and interpret it ? Ys. 
2, 4, 10, 11. 

9. What fate faced them? Ys. 5b, 12, 13. 

10. What did Daniel do, and with what re- 
sults? Ys. 14-24. 

11. To whom did Daniel give the honor of 
his revelation? Y.25-30. 

12. What was the dream? Ys. 31-35. 

13. AYhat the interpretation? Ys. 36-45. 



LESSON NUMBER NINETEEN 143 

14. What remarkable thing did the king 
then dOj and what did he say ? Vs. 46, 
47. 

15. "What great honor did he confer upon 
Daniel and his friends ? Vs. 48, 49. 

16. What similar train of events is recorded 
in Gen. 41:14-40? 

17. How did the image of Daniel 3 :1 differ 
from the dream image ? 

18. How was he again convinced of the 
superiority of Israel's God? Vs. 2-30. 

19. Have you carefully read the Notes 
under Part Three on World Empires ? 

20. What N. T. book is like Daniel, and 
practically a completion of the same 
revelation ? 

NOTES 

1. Daniel and the other young princes and nobles 
^ere taken to Babylon as hostages about eight years 
before the first deportation of Jews — the ' ' good figs. ' ' 
According to 2 Ki. 23 :36-24 :1 ; 2 Chr. 36 :6 ; Dan. 1 :1, 
Nebuchadnezaar bound Jehoiakim to take him to 



144 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Babylon; but evidently changed his mind and took 
instead some of these young princes as security for 
allegiance. These hostages seem to have been a more 
choice selection than the ^^good figs/' and enjoyed 
greater privileges and honors, by the wonderful provi- 
dences of God. There can be no question that God 
directed the selection of these splendid young men as 
hostages. Similarly, God had caused Joseph to be 
carried as a prisoner to Egypt 1,000 years before, 
and later, elevated him next to the throne, by a God- 
given interpretation of a king's dream. Both Joseph 
and Daniel were '^well favored," without blemish 
physically, mentally or morally; two magnificent 
young men. Joseph was 17 when taken to Egypt, 
and Daniel is supposed to have been of about the same 
age. It is probable that he was God's instrument in 
securing the edict from Cyrus permitting the Jews 
to return to Palestine 78 years later. 

2. When Nebuchadnezzar took Daniel to Babylon, 
he was in command of the army of his father, Nabo- 
polassar, and did not become king until 605 B.C. and 
was in the second year of his reign when Daniel had 
completed his three years' training and was included 
among the wise men of Babylon. Daniel was perhaps 
20 ; and the king probably not much older. 

3. Nebuchadnezzar's name is mentioned more than 
80 times in the Bible. He assembled all the nations 
from India to Ethiopia into one great empire — a feat 
not paralleled by any modern ruler. He enclosed 130 
square miles within the walls of Babylon, which are 
said to have contained more masonry than the great 
wall of China. Ninety per cent of the bricks in the 



LESSON NUMBER NINETEEN 145 

ruins of the many cities of Babylonia are stamped 
with his name. He built immense canals and reser- 
voirs for irrigation, and made Babylonia a garden. 
With all his wonderful activities he was very religious, 
and undertook to unify the religions of his empire by 
the compulsory worship of the most magnificent golden 
image ever erected by man. Unlike Pharaoh, who 
refused to recognize the God of Israel in spite of all 
the evidence that accumulated in the plagues of 
Egypt, in which all the gods of Egypt were shown to 
be inferior to Jehovah, Nebuchadnezzar prostrated 
himself in adoration before a young Jew, and in a 
manly, straight-forward way, acknowledged Daniel's 
God as the greatest of gods, when Daniel revealed 
Ms dream. Later, when the three young companions 
of Daniel were saved from his furious anger by 
miraculous deliverance from the furnace of fire, he 
gave them honorable promotion and decreed death to 
any party who should speak a word against their God. 
Again, after God had humbled his pride by his seven 
years of strange insanity, he honored the Most High 
God with a most beautiful tribute of praise — his last 
recorded words. (Dan. 4:1-3, 34-37.) 

4..^^ The second chapter of Daniel is a Biblical 
mountain-peak. , It is one of the great pivotal chapters 
of the Prophetic Word. Nebuchadnezzar, living at 
the very beginning of the times of Gentile power, is 
given a vision of the entire course of that power 
reaching through twenty-five centuries. He sees the 
final form of the power, and he even sees the whole 
structure of Gentile sovereignty destroyed and abol- 
ished. Then he sees the Kingdom of Heaven set up 



146 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

on the earth; that is, the Millennial Kingdom of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. ' ' ( Pettingill. ) ' 

5. ^ ' As the days of the dreamer were the early days 
of ^The Times of the Gentiles/ so it needs to be per- 
ceived that the dream was given to make known to 
him, and to all successors, what should occur ^in the 
latter days' of the times of the Gentiles.'' (Stevens.) 

6. *^The great image, the form of a man, is the 
prophetic image of the times of the Gentiles. ... In 
the New Testament, the Apostle Paul speaks of ^ Man's 
Day' (1 Cor. 4:3, see margin). Man's Day describes 
the times of the Gentiles and . . . Man's Day will 
continue till the Lord's Day begins." (Gaebelein.) 

7. ^^Gold, the most precious metal in the Image, is 
a symbol of absolute monarchy. All the power is 
vested in the King and his word is law. This was the 
ease in Babylon. A less precious metal is used to 
signify the government of Medo-Persia, because that 
government was a limited monarchy and depended for 
its power upon an hereditary nobility. The brass, or 
bronze, describes the . . . Graeco-Macedonian Em- 
pire. . . . The iron is Eome. ... The legs set forth 
the two-fold Kingdom wdth centers at Rome and 
Constantinople. The government is partly strong and 
partly brittle. The clay principle begins to manifest 
itself. It is the spread of democracy, or government 
by the people. ' ' ( Pettingill. ) 

8. The Stone is Christ. He does not reform this 
great image ; he crushes it. It is a sudden destruction 
— not a gradual transformation. It is all blown away 
before the stone becomes great and fills the earth. 
This age is to end in disaster and judgment, before 
Christ's reign begins. 



LESSON TWENTY 

FoiJE Gkeat Beasts 

DaniePs first apocalyptic vision. Tlie em- 
pires of Nebuchadnezzar's dream- 
vision shown to Daniel as beasts. Char- 
acteristics of each shown in their pe- 
culiarities. Their destruction and the 
establishment of the everlasting king- 
dom. 

I beheld even till the beast was slain, and its body 
destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire. 
• . . And there was given Him dominion, and glory, 
and a kingdom . . . which shall not pass away. 
(Daniel.) 

Home readings: Dan. Chapters 3 and 4. 

Class reading: Dan. Chap. 7. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. When did Daniel have this vision? 
Dan. 7 :1. Note 1. 

147 



148 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. Wliat did he see ? Vs. 2, 3. 

3. Describe tlie first beast. V. 4. 

4. Describe the second beast. V. 5. 

5. Describe the third beast. V. 6. 

6. Describe the fourtli beast. Y. 7. 

7. What did he see in V. 8? 

8. What is described in Vs. 9, 10? 

9. What did John see in Rev. 4:2, 3? 

10. What was done with the beasts. Dan. 
7:11,12. 

11. What did Daniel next see? V. 13. 

12. Who was this person, and what was 
given him ? V. 14. 

13. How was Daniel affected, and what did 
he do? Vs. 15, 16. 

14. What was he told? Vs. 17, 18. 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY 149 

15. AVhat more did Daniel want to know? 
Vs. 19, 20. 

16. What did lie then see ? Vs. 21, 22. 

17. What was he told in Vs. 23-25? (Com^ 
pare 12:7.) 

18. What would then be done? Vs. 26, 27. 

19. When is this to be fulfilled? Rev. 11 :15. 

20. Although troubled, what did Daniel do ? 
Dan. 7:28. 



NOTES 

1. Although Daniel had interpreted the king^s 
dreams in his earlier years, he seems to have had no 
visions himself until the first year of Belshazzar's 
reign, when he was perhaps 80 years old; his second 
vision two years later, the third in the first year of 
Darius, and the fourth and last in the third year of 
Cyrus — all in his old age. 

2. "We have seen in previous lessons that bodies of 
water represent nations, or armies (as flowing rivers), 
figuratively, in prophecy. Isa. 57:20 represents the 
wicked as a twubled sea. The great sea of Dan 7:2, 



150 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

upon which the four ivinds broke forth would 
naturally represent the cor/imotion among nations 
caused by unseen poivers, and out of which these em- 
pires came. 

Among the many tablets and cylinders unearthed 
in recent years which so wonderfully establish the 
truthfulness of Bible statements, is a cylinder of 
Cyrus, giving an account of the taking of Babylon, in 
which this statement occurs: 

^'His wide-extended troops, whose numbers like the 
waters of a river could not be known/' This shows 
that bodies of water were used in the current writings 
of those times to typify masses of men. 

In Rev. 13:1 John says, ^^I saw a Tjeast coming up 
out of the sea, having ten horns'' — and the further 
description of that beast seems to identify it with the 
fourth beast of Daniel's vision. The details of John's 
vision will be studied with reference to this in later 
lessons. 

3. *^ There has been little or no question among 
interpreters that the first beast stands for the Baby- 
lonian empire, the sun of which w^as about to set when 
Daniel saw this vision. It here appears as the noblest 
of beasts, with the addition of the wings of the 
noblest of birds, just as it appeared to its most 
illustrious head as the noblest of metals shaped 
according to the noblest part of man. The Scriptures 
elsewhere liken Nebuchadnezzar to a lion and his 
armies to eagks (Jer. 4:7, 13; Eze. 17:3, 12), and 
the characteristics of his empire were great savage 
strength, magnificence and irresistible conquest. It 
was a lion with eagle's wings. But its aggressions 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY 151 

soon flagged, its eagle wings were plucked and its 
career of conquest stopped/' (Seiss.) 

4. The change of heart in Nebuchadnezzar, which 
seems so evident in chapter 4, is again indicated in 
chapter 7. As a young man he was like a winged 
lion — swift and fierce in his conquests. In Dan. 4: 
16, 17, the dream decree was, '^Let his heart be 
changed from man's, and let a beast's lieart be given 
unto him. ' ' But in 7 :4, Daniel ' ' beheld till the wings 
thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the 
earth and made to stand upon two feet as a man; and 
a man's lieart was given to it." Nebuchadnezzar's 
proclamation: ^^to all peoples, nations, and languages. 
... It seemed good unto me to sJiow the signs and 
wonders that the Most High God hath wrought toward 
me,'' and on through the chapter, is one of the most 
humble confessions of sin and faith in God ever 
written; and the evidence of sincerity is in the fact 
that he wanted all men to know it. His twice repeated 
statement that ^'His dominion is an everlasting 
dominion," coming from this first of world-rulers, 
certainly seems to be prophetic of the final World 
Euler. 

5. Of the second beast Dr. Seiss says: ^'The burly 
brute answers to the heavy chest of Nebuchadnezzar's 
image. The two sides, one higher and stronger than 
the other, fit the dual composition of this empire. 
The three torn ribs in this beast's mouth also corre- 
spond. They answer to Lydia, Babylon and Egypt, 
which the Medo-Persian empire seized and held. The 
bidding of it to devour much flesh was likewise 
fulfilled in the great waste of human life which 



152 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

characterized the ponderous aggressions of this power, 
which never had the speed and agility of a winged 
lion (which seems, from excavations in Babylon, to 
have been a national emblem), but always moved with 
the huge heaviness and massive strength of the 
awkward animal here made to represent it." 

6. The third beast was like a leopard, having four 
wings and four heads. This corresponds with the 
belly and thighs of brass in the image vision of 
Nebuchadnezzar. It is Greece in the days of Alexander 
the Great. The Leopard, unlike the ponderous Bear, 
is lithe and agile, and this was a prominent char- 
acteristic of the onward march of the Graeco- 
Macedonian power. The four wings also speak of 
swiftness of flight. The four heads are the four 
generals, who became kings after Alexander's death, 
dividing up the empire between them." (Pettingill.) 

7. ^^The Roman empire, the boast of the human 
historian, finally follows under the symbol of an 
indescribably hideous beast ... a monster, with 
^ great iron teeth.' " (Stevens.) 

^^The fourth and last world empire is so beastly 
that no beast on earth is found to describe its true 
character. The great nations of Christendom, the 
nations which will be included in the future revival of 
the Roman empire in its ten kingdom aspect, testify 
unconsciously to their devouring, beastly, ferocious 
nature. The emblem of not one of these nations is the 
dove . . . but the lion, the bear, the unicorn, the 
eagle. . . . Their standing armies, their ever-increas- 
ing navies both on the sea and now even of the air 
(1911) tell us beforehand that some coming day in 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY 153 

the near future, the dogs of war will be let loose and 
the beasts will do their most dreadful w^ork." 
(Gaebelein.) 

^'This is Roman militarism, which is broken out 
again in the European debacle of 1914." (Stevens.) 

8. ^^The ten horns on the fourth beast correspond 
to the ten toes . . . they are ten kings. The Roman 
empire has never existed in this form. . . . The 
Roman empire must therefore some day be revived 
politically . . . another horn will spring up for 1,260 
days ... in power over this empire and act in the 
awful way revealed in this interpretation.'"' 
(Gaebelein.) 

These horns, especially the little horn, will be con- 
sidered in future lessons; and also the Everlasting 
Kingdom. 



LESSON TAVENTY-ONE 

The Ram axd the He Goat 

The vision of Dan. 8, and its interpretation 
by the angel Gabriel. Further infor- 
mation regarding the little horn, his 
identification in N. T. prophecy, the 
time of his reign, and his final doom. 

We see not our signs: there is no more any 
prophet ; neither is there among us any that knoweth 
how long. How long, God, shall the adversary re- 
proach? Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for- 
ever? Psa. 74:9, 10. 

Home reading: Rev. 13:1-18 
Class reading: Dan. 8:1-27 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. When did this vision appear ? Dan. 8 :1. 

2. Where did he see himself to be ? V. 2. 

154 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-ONE 155 

3. What domestic animal did lie see, and 
with what peculiarity ? Y. 3. 

4. What did he do? Y. 4. 

5. AYhat next did he see, and wdiat pecu- 
liarity? Y. 5. 

6. What did he do ? Ys. 6, 7. 

7. What next occurred according to Y. 8 ? 

8. AYhat was the next development ? Ys. 9, 
10. 

9. To what extent did he transgress? 
Ys. 11, 12. 

10. What question was asked and answ^ered 
in Ys. 13, 14. 

11. What did Daniel seek to do ? Y. 15. 

12. How w^as he rew^arded? Y. 16. 

13. Who is Gabriel? Lu. 1:11, 19, 26. 



156 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

14. How was Daniel affected, and what was 
he told? Dan. 8:17. 

15. What more did he say about the time? 
Vs. 19, 23, 26. 

16. What occurred to Daniel in the vision ? 
V. 18. 

17. What did the animals and the horns 
signify? Vs. 20-22. 

18. What of the little horn and his power? 
Vs. 23, 24. 

19. What will be the results of his policy? 
V. 25. 

20. What effect did this vision have on 
Daniel? V. 27. 



NOTES 

1. Daniel was probably at home in Babylon when 
he had this vision, as he was the ruler, under the 
king, of the province of Babylon, and after recovery 
from his sickness, caused by this vision, ^'rose up 
and did the king's business." But in the vision he 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-ONE 157 

saw himself in the future capital of the Medo-Persian 
empire. The Babylonian empire was not represented 
in this vision, as its end was at hand. 

2. ^^Nebuchadnezzar's dream gives a general out- 
line of the political history of the world, as viewed by 
a world-ruler and estimated from external presenta- 
tions. Hence the splendid human figure, by the side 
of which the kingdom of God appears in humility as 
a stone. Daniel's first vision gives a somewhat more 
particular outline of the same world-power, but as 
viewed by a spiritual prophet and estimated with 
reference to moral properties. Hence, ferocious wild 
beasts take the place of excellent metals, whilst the 
kingdom of God appears in its real worth and dignity 
as the crown of humanity, or the Son of Man coming 
from the eternal throne.'' (Seiss.) 

3. ^^In Daniel's second vision, the change of the 
symbol lies in the reference of the vision to the 
Jewish people. Medo-Persia, viewed in relation to 
Israel, was not a devouring wild beast, but, for the 
most part, a friendly power. ... It was this power 
which restored the Jews after 70 years of captivity 
in Babylon, and helped them in many ways in the 
rebuilding of the temple and the restoration of their 
worship . . . So, again, what Nebuchadnezzar saw as 
the brazen abdomen and thighs of the great image, 
and Daniel beheld in his first vision "as the four- winged 
and four-headed Leopard, here appears in the form 
of a Goat ... As a world power in general it had 
all the savage qualities of a Leopard, but in relation 
to the Jews it was a mild and fostering power, rather 
than a beast of prey." (Seiss.) 



158 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

4. '^It should be observed here that the Ram 
actually became the heraldic device of the empire of 
Medo-Persia. This is shown by coins that have been 
discovered, bearing a Ram's head on one side and a 
ram recumbent on the other. . . . The Goat was the 
national emblem of the Graeco-Macedonian Empire, 
owing to its connection with the famous legend of 
Caranus. It is found on the Macedonian coins. The 
ancient capital city was called Aegea or Goat city, and 
. . . the adjacent waters were called the Aegean or 
Goat Sea.'' (Pettingill.) 

5. ^^When Alexander the Great died, that is when 
^the Great Horn was broken,' his empire was divided 
into four parts by his four generals, who became kings 
over these divisions. Ptolemy took Egypt, Cyrene, 
Coele-Syria, and some of the northern parts of Asia- 
Minor. Cassander became king of Macedon and 
Greece. Lysimachus reigned over Thrace, . . . (and) 
Seleucus possessed the remainder. . . . Rome does not 
appear in chapter 8 as the fourth world-power, be- 
cause God has been pleased to reveal to us here that 
Antichrist, whom we have already seen to be a Roman 
Prince, will spring out of the eastern portion of the 
Roman kingdom, that portion formerly belonging to 
one of the four kings in the Grecian Empire." (Pet- 
tingill.) 

6. ^^A new section begins with verse 23, marked by 
the words 'In the latter time of their kingdom.' All 
that precedes this . . . pertains to the former time 
of their kingdom. Between these two divisions — that 
is, between the former time and the latter time there 
is, as we shall see, a great gap of centuries; and all 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-ONE 159 

that follows (verses 23-27) lias to do with events yet 
in the future/' (Pettingill.) 

7. When Daniel sought to understand this vision, 
grid Gabriel was told to make him understand, Daniel 
was seized with fear and fell upon his face ; and wliile 
Gabriel was speaking he fell into a deep sleep with his 
face toward the ground. This was no swoon, but the 
deep sleep of death symbolized. His face w^as toward 
the ground, into which he was to go. He was aroused 
and made to stand in his place again by Gabriel's 
touch, symbol of resurrection, thus bringing Daniel 
down through the long ages, symbolically, to the time 
of the end, and thus giving emphasis to his statement 
that the vision belonged to that time. A similar occur- 
rence took place in the vision recorded in Dan. 10 :9- 
11; and in Dan. 12:13 he was told ''But go thy way 
till the end be ; for tliou shalt rest, and shall stand in 
thy lot, at the end of the days.'' In chapter 8 :19 this 
time is again specified as the ''latter time'' and "the 
appointed time of the end." 

8. The little horn which appeared in his first vision 
is again the special object of intercut, and his deeds 
the all important topic of the interpretation. Be- 
cause the vision belonged to "many days to come," 
Daniel was told to shut up the vision. It seems to be 
opening up in these latter days, but not fully enough 
yet so that all can understand it alike. Some exposi- 
tors still consider that Antiochus Epiphanes, a king 
in the relatively near future of Daniel's time, was 
the little horn. But "even the Jews of Jerome's time, 
as he tells us, still looked upon this prophecy as yet 
to have a further fulfilment in another king yet to 



160 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

arise and do after the style of Antiochus, in whom the 
wickedness of earth shall have its final consumma- 
tion." (Seiss.) 

Antiochus did not fulfill all the specifications in 
this prophecy, but the fact that he did fulfill so many, 
seems to have made it necessary to state definitely 
that the prophecy applied to the time of the end. 



LESSON TWENTY-TWO 

The First Beast Slain 

The handwriting on the wall, the death sen- 
tence of the decadent kingdom of Baby- 
lon, the ' ' Winged Lion. ' ' Its immediate 
execution by the Medo-Persian '^Bear/^ 

Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom and 
brought it to an end ... In that night Belshazzar 
the Chaldean king was slain. And Darius the Mede 
received the kingdom. (Daniel.) 

Home readings: Isa. Chap. 13, 14, 21:1-10; 
Jer. Chap. 50, 51 

Class reading: Dan. 5:1-31 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. How did Belshazzar spend his last 
hours? Dan. 5:1. 

2. What command did he give while in- 
toxicated? V. 2. 

161 



162 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. By what sacrilegious act was Jehovah 
defied? Vs. 3, 4. Note 2. 

4. How did God answer the challenge? 
V. 5. 

5. Describe the scene that followed. Ys. 
6-9. 

6. What did the young king's mother ad- 
vise? Vs. 10-12. 

7. What reward was offered to Daniel as 
a result? Vs. 13-16. 

8. How did Daniel show his contempt for 
this reward? V. 17a. 

9. What would he nevertheless do ? V. 17b. 

10. With what arraignment did he preface 
his interpretation? Vs. 18-22. 

11. With what blasphemous act did he 
charge him? V. 23. 

12. Who did he say sent the part of the 
hand to write ? V. 24. 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-TWO 163 

13. What was the writing and the interpre- 
tation? Vs. 25-27. 

14. How w^as Daniel then rewarded? V. 29. 

15. How soon was God's decree executed, 
and wlio received the kingdom ? Ys. 30, 
31. 

16. How did Isaiah describe the taking of 
Babylon ? Isa. 44 :27-45 :4. 

17. How did Darius honor Daniel? Dan. 
6:1-3. 

18. What plot was then made, by whom, and 
with what results ? Vs. 4-24. 

19. What decree and statement did Darius 
make concerning God and his kingdom ? 
Vs. 25-27. 

20. How does this correspond with Dan. 
3:29:4:34? 



164 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

NOTES 

1. ''The critics are ever ready to put the doubt, 
not on the side of history, but on the side of the Bible. 
So they said Berosus was not mistaken, and that if 
Daniel really had written the book which bears his 
name, he w^ould have been historically correct. This 
is how matters stood up to 1854. In that year Raw- 
linson translated a number of tablets brought to light 
by the spade from the ruins of the Babylonian civiliza- 
tion. These contained the memorials of Nabonnaid, 
and in these the name of Bil-shar-uzzar appears fre- 
quently and is mentioned as the son of Nabonnaid and 
sharing the government with him. The existence of 
Belshazzar and the accuracy of Daniel were at once 
established beyond the shadow of a doubt." (Gaebe- 
lein.) 

Belshazzar is called Nebuchadnezzar's son. He was 
his grandson ; but the Semitic languages have no w^ord 
for ' ' grandson, " or ' ' grandfather. ' ' Jesus was called 
*'the Son of David,'' though many generations in- 
tervened. 

2. According to Dan. 1 :2, Nebuchadnezzar brought 
the golden vessels of Jehovah's temple to Babylon and 
put them into the treasure-house of his god. This 
was the most honorable disposal he could make of 
them, as this was the most sacred depository, and the 
safest, in which he could place them. It would have 
been a very serious sacrilege to have used them in the 
worship of his god, but they were probably never so 
used. Belshazzar was guilty of a far more sacri- 
legious desecration when he ordered these sacred ves- 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-TWO 165 

sels for use in a drunken carousal, while they defiantly 
praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of 
iron, of wood, and of stone as superior to Jehovah. 

Are not these the very things the masses of mankind 
are worshipping yet? 

3. What a picture of cringing cowardice is to be 
seen in verse 6 ! The brazen-faced boldness of de- 
fiance has given place to pale-faced terror and trem- 
bling, so that his knees smote one against another. 
The wise men of Babylon were impotent as helpers. 
Only his mother could give calm advice. She remem- 
bered how Daniel had interpreted her father's dreams, 
many years before. Daniel offered no flattery to the 
king. His words of scathing rebuke were not pref- 
aced with the ordinary ^'0 king, live forever," but 
with ^^0 thou king!" Contemptible wretch! He 
showed, by contrast with his grandfather, the last 
stage of decline from Nebuchadnezzar 's greatness. He 
might keep his gifts, Daniel did not want them. 
Nevertheless, he would interpret the hand-writing. 

4. ' ' Situated on either bank of the Euphrates, 
which flowed through it (Babylon) from north to 
south, the city, according to Herodotus, was fifteen 
miles square, surrounded by walls eighty-seven feet 
thick and three hundred and fifty feet high. Similar 
walls lined the river on each side through the entire 
length of the city. On each of the four sides of the 
city, and on each bank of the river within it, there 
were twenty-five great double or folding gates of solid 
brass — one hundred and fifty gates in all. ... At the 
outside base of the outer walls there was a deep water- 
moat, thirty feet in width. Within the city the streets 



166 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

were laid at right angles from gate to gate, twenty- 
five running north and south and an equal number 
east and west, dividing the city into six hundred and 
seventy-six squares. . . . The river was crossed in 
boats, except in the center of the city where a great 
bridge was built 660 feet long and 30 feet wide, sup- 
ported by great stone arches. . . . The city was well 
able to withstand a long siege, for there were provi- 
sions in store for twenty years to come and there was 
also the land, by which to produce more food as it 
was needed." (Pettingill.) 

5. It seems that Nabonnaid had taken the most of 
his army to meet a large body of the Medo-Persian 
army at a distant point, leaving Belshazzar in charge 
of Babylon. Supposing that the city was impregnable, 
he and his lords gave themselves up to feasting and 
revelry. Meantime Cyrus, with a division of his army 
was busy above the city. ^^ History agrees with the 
prophecies in recording that the city of Babylon was 
taken at night, when great revelry was going on, 
without opportunity for a single blow of resistance. 
Cyrus, the captain of the combined forces of the Medes 
and Persians, diverted the water of the Euphrates, 
which flowed through the city, to another channel and 
. . . marched into the city through the dry river-bed, 
(under the wall), gaining access into the city proper 
through the great brazen gates along the river channel, 
which were found carelessly open and unguarded." 
(Stevens.) 

6. Isaiah, about 350 years before this, wrote, ^'That 
saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers ; 
that saith ... to Cyrus, Avhose right right hand I 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-TWO 167 

have holden, to subdue nations before him , . . to 
open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be 
shut/' Much space is given in prophecy to Babylon 
— as is evident in the home readings for this lesson. 
It is evident that some of the items in these passages 
have not yet been fulfilled. Like many other proph- 
ecies, lapses of time are not always noted. Babylon 
has never yet been suddenly destroyed. It was not 
destroyed when Cyrus took it. It was a great city 
for many years. A Christian church in Babylon is 
mentioned in 1 Pet. 5:13. The city has declined 
gradually until only a few thousand people are now 
left. But Babylon is evidently to yet become a great 
city — a very wicked city, and be suddenly destroyed 
according to some of these 0. T. prophecies, as well 
as those of the Book of Revelation. 



LESSON TWENTY-THREE 

The Seventy Sevens 

Israel's future as revealed by Gabriel in 
response to DaniePs study of prophecy 
and prayer for his people. Gentile 
powers are not in view here, except in- 
cidentally as desolators of Jerusalem 
and the Jews. 

Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and 
upon thy holy city, to finish transgression . . . and to 
bring in everlasting righteousness. (Gabriel.) 

Home readings: Jer. 25 : 11-14. Dan. 6 :l-28 

Class reading: Dan. 9:1-27 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What did Daniel understand, by what, 
and in what year, according to Dan. 9 :1, 

2? 

2. Understanding this, what did he do? 
Vs. 3, 4. 

168 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-THR^E 169 

3. For whom did he confess, what was their 
sin, and what their punishment? Vs. 5- 
15. 

4. For what did he pray? Vs. 16-20. 

5. What occurred while he was praying? 
Vs. 20, 21. 

6. What did he do, and for what purpose 
had he come ? V. 22. 

7. When was he sent, and why ? V. 23a, b. 

8. AVhat did he charge Daniel to do? 
V. 23c. 

9. What length of time is specified in Y. 
24a? Note 3. 

10. What should be accomplished in that 
time? V. 24b. Note 4. 

11. When would that time begin? V. 25 a. 

12. How long after that date should Messiah 
come ? V. 25b. 

13. When should Jerusalem be rebuilt? 
V. 25c. 



170 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

14. What should occur after the 62 weeks? 
V. 26a. 

15. Who should again destroy the city and 
sanctuary ? V. 26b. 

16. A¥hat should continue unto the end? 
V. 26c. 

17. Who will make a covenant, and for how 
long a time ? V. 27a. Note 6. 

18. Would this week immediately follow the 
62 weeks? Note 6. 

19. What will he do in the midst of this 
week? V. 27b. 

20. What is determined till the full end? 
V. 27c, 



NOTES 

1. Daniel was a man of prayer. Revelations came 
to Mm in answer to prayer. He prayed three times 
a day before his open window, when he knew that 
death in a lion's den was decreed if he did so. He con- 
fessed the sins of his people and prayed for their 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-THREE 171 

restoration to their holy land, and the rebuilding of 
their holy city; and he was probably the agent of 
God in securing the decree of Cyrus permitting them 
to return and rebuild; while he himself probably re- 
mained and died in exile, though beloved of God, of 
his own people and of all right-minded men, 

2. Daniel was a student of propliecy. He did not 
wait or pray for new revelations of that which had 
already been revealed to others and committed to 
sacred books. He understood by the books that the 
end of the 70 years of desolations for Jerusalem was 
at hand. He probably hoped also that all Israel might 
be restored to their land and to their former glory. 
But the people as a whole had not met the conditions 
necessary for their restoration, and Gabriel was sent 
to announce to Daniel the decree that seventy sevens 
of years were yet in store for his people and for the 
holy city. In fulfilment of Jeremiah's prophecy the 
city should be rebuilt, but in troublous times, and to 
be again destroyed, with desolations continuing down 
to the end of Gentile rule. 

3. ^^We shall plainly see that the seven in each case 
is a period of seven years. Seventy of these sevens, 
therefore, would be 490 years. This point would be 
sufficiently clear to a Jewish mind, for the idea of 
Heptads, or seven-year periods, was a familiar one in 
connection with the Levitical ritual and calendar, 
w^hich provided for Sabbatical years as well as days, 
and the Hebrew of that day was accustomed to think 
of the week of years, as well as the week of days." 
(Pettingill.) 

4. ^^Four hundred and ninety years was decreed 



172 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

. . . during which six things were to be accomplished : 
First, To finish transgression. ... It is the transgres- 
sion of Israel in a definite sense, that is referred to. 
., . . The rejection of Messiah is the transgression of 
Israel, and ^in that day they shall receive Him.' 
(Compare Isa 59:20 with Rom. 11:26.) Second. To 
make an end of sins or to seal up sins (Marg.) The 
sins, mark you, are the sins of Israel and Jerusalem, 
for only Daniers people and their holy city are in 
view in this prophecy. Third. To make reconciliation 
for iniquity, or to purge away iniquity. (Marg.) Of 
course, the expiation for Israel's sins was accomplished 
by the Lord Jesus on the cross ; but its application to 
the people of Israel as such awaits the day when God 
shall bring them to Himself by the heavy hand of 
Judgment. . . . Fourth. To hring in everlasting 
righteousness. This points to the national restoration 
and conversion of Israel. ^And so all Israel shall be 
saved.' (Rom. 11, 26.) Then shall the Lord make 
His new covenant with the house of Israel. He will 
put His law in their inward parts, and in their heart 
will He write it ; and He will be their God and they 
shall be His people. Fifth. To seal up vision and 
prophecy, or prophet, (Marg.) Visions and prophets 
are only necessary when sin abounds. With sins all 
gone and communion with God uninterrupted, Israel 
will have no need of visions and prophecies. ^Whether 
there be prophecies, they shall be done away. ' . . . 
Sixth. To anoint the Most Holy, or a Most Holy 
Place. (Marg.) This expression doubtless refers to 
the anointing of the Holy of Holies in the Millennial 
Temple described by Ezekiel." (Pettingill.) 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-THREE 173 

5. The beginning of the 490 years is plainly the issu- 
ing of the decree of Artaxerxes to restore and to build 
Jerusalem. (Neh. 2:1_6.) Not the temple, but the 
city, the wall and street. The decree of Artaxerxes 
was issued in the twentieth year of his reign, in the 
month Nisan — March, 445 B.C. It is found that from 
this date to the date when Jesus persented himself in 
the so-called ^^ triumphal entry,'' as king, also in the 
month Nisan, was exactly 490 years. It was after 
this date that Messiah was cut off, not having received 
the kingdom. 

6. It is evident that the final seven years, or 
^^week," does not follow immediately, as it is not men- 
tioned until the 27th verse, and then in connection 
with occurrences which are known from other Scrip- 
tures, as well as this, to belong to the very last years 
of this age. Jerusalem was to be destroyed and the 
Jews dispersed to the ends of the earth, regathered 
in part and the temple rebuilt near the end of the 
times of the Gentiles, before the making and breaking 
of the covenant mentioned in v. 27, which are under- 
stood to occur at the beginning and the middle of the 
last ^^week." This covenant is not God's covenant, 
but one to be made with the Jews by a false Messiah, 
the Antichrist, who thus brings upon them the final 
^^time of Jacob's trouble," and from which they are 
delivered by the return of Jesus, the true Messiah. 



LESSON TWENTY-FOUR 

Daxiel^s Great Visioist 

The revelation of a great warfare in 
response to a three weeks fasting, 
mourning and humbling of himself be- 
fore God. A warfare involving heav- 
enly princes as well as earthly rulers. 

So I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and 
there remained no strength in me. ... Daniel, 
thou man greatly beloved, understand the words that 
I speak unto thee, and stand upright. (Daniel.) 

Home readings: Dan. 10:1-11:45. 
Rev. 1 :9-18 

Class reading: Dan. 10 :1-11 :1 
QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. When did Daniel see this vision % Dan. 
10:1. 

2. What preceded the vision ? Vs. 2, 3. 

174 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR 175 

3. Where, and on what day, did he see this 
vision? Y. 4. Note 1. 

A. What did he see ? Vs. 5, 6. (Comp. Eze. 
43:2.) 

5. What similar vision did John see in 
Eev. 1:12, 13? 

6. How were Daniel's companions af- 
fected? Dan. 10:7. 

7. How were Paul's companions affected 
according to Acts 9 :7 ? 

8. How^ was Daniel affected ? Dan. 10 :8. 

9. What former experience was then re- 
peated? V. 9. (Comp. 8:18.) 

10. What was'done and said in vs. 10, 11, 
and with what result ? 

11. Of what was Daniel assured, and why 
had this person come ? V. 12. 

12. Who had withstood him, for how long, 
and who came to his help ? V. 13. 



176 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

13. To what time did the vision apply ^ and 
who were involved? Y. 14. 

14. How was Daniel affected by these 
words? V. 15. 

15. How w^as his dumbness overcome, and 
what did he say? Vs. 16, 17 a. 

16. "What effect still remained, and how was 
it overcome ? Vs. 17 b-19. 

17. What question was asked Daniel in v. 
20 a? (Comp. v. 14.) 

18. What was asserted of Daniel for the 
third time in v. 19? (Comp. 9:23; 
10:11.) 

19. What kind of princes are spoken of in 
vs. 13, 20 ? Mt. 12 :24 ; Jn. 12, 31 ; 14 :30 ; 
Eph. 2 :2 ; Dan. 12 :1 ; Jude 9 ; Rev. 12 :7 ; 
Eph. 6:12; Rom. 8:38? 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR 177 

NOTES 

1. Dan. 1:21 says: ''Daniel continued unto the 
first year of King Cyrus/' Dan. 6:28 says ''Daniel 
prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign 
of Cyrus the Persian. '^ This last and greatest of his 
visions occurred in the third year of Cyrus. The 
statement in Dan. 1 :21 follows the account of Daniel's 
induction into his official career, which continued to 
the first year of Cyrus. He probably resigned, or 
was honorably retired from office, at that time on 
account of his age. But that he lived beyond that 
time is evident from the date of this great vision, and 
we have no account of his death. 

2. The month Abib, or Nisan, was made the first 
month of the sacred Jewish year, because Israel was 
delivered from Egypt in that month. The Passover 
was instituted as an annual feast to commemorate that 
event. The 21st day of the month Avas the last day 
of the feast. But the Jews could hardly celebrate it 
while again in captivity, except by mourning. Al- 
though about 50,000 Jews now back in Palestine, 
they were experiencing the hardships of pioneer life 
and attacks of enemy tribes, and were in a pitiable 
condition compared with Israel's former glory. Daniel 
began mourning and fasting on the third day of the 
month Nisan, and continued till the 24th, when the 
great vision came. It was in this same month, Nisan, 
that Nehemiah's days of mourning over the condition 
of Jerusalem, over 80 years later, were ended by the 
magnanimous grant of King Artaxerxes. 

3. ^'Now the thing which was made known unto him 



178 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

was 'the great warfare' (the literal Hebrew) and that 
great warfare in the near future, and what is to take 
place in the distant future, when Daniel's people 
should be delivered (12:1), is the subject of this final 
vision given to Daniel before he went to his rest. As 
we shall find, the vision stands in closest relation with 
that contained in chapter 8. It is an expansion of 
that vision, containing the prophetic record of the 
overthrow of the Persian empire by Greece, and the 
minutest details of the wars of the Ptolemies and 
Seleucidae, springing up out of the divided Grecian 
empire. ' ' ( Gaebelein. ) 

4. As to who this '^ certain man" might have been, 
the same writer (Gaebelein) says: ''Some believe it 
was Gabriel who appeared once more, as he had come 
to Daniel in chapters 8 and 9. Others have taught 
that it was another mighty angel, while a few ex- 
positors of this chapter have taught that it was none 
other than the Lord Himself who paid a visit to the 
prophet, just as he came in the form of a Man to 
Abraham. (Genesis 18.) "We incline to this view and 
believe that the greatly beloved man was favored with 
a Theophany. Stevens considers this view untenable, 
because, as he thinks, this glorious person first seen is 
the same one who afterward talked with Daniel, and 
who was hindered by an opposing prince and helped 
by Michael. But it is not certain that the one who 
touched and talked with Daniel was the same as the 
glorious one first seen. He seems to be sent while 
Daniel is prostrate, as he (Gabriel) had been sent in 
8 :15, 16, and for the same purpose. Certainly Daniel 
had not been so overwhelmed by his presence when 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR 179 

lie had then talked with him, as he now was in the 
presence of the One of vs. 5, 6. 

5. Instead of the beasts and horns of his former 
visions, representing earthly kings and empires, he 
now saw the glorious king of kings who was to suc- 
ceed them. Instead of hearing a mouth speaking great 
swelling words, like the little horn, he hears a voice 
like the voice of a multitude. The description of this 
glorious personage is so like the description in Rev. 
1 :12-16 that they seem to be the same. Like Daniel 
too, John was so overwhelmed with his vision of the 
glorified Christ that he ^^fell as one dead,'' at his 
feet. As a hand was laid upon the greatly beloved 
Daniel, so a hand was laid upon John, the beloved 
disciple, and his fear removed by the assurance that 
He was the One who had died and was alive forever- 
more. Saul of Tarsus was blinded by his vision of 
the glorified Jesus and fell to the earth. The con- 
trast between this glorious Person and the beasts in- 
dicates the difference in the character of their king- 
doms and His. 

6. ' ' Here the veil is lifted, and we are shown some- 
thing of the workings of the unseen world. . . . Satan 
is the Prince of this world, tJie god of this age and 
the Prince of the power of the air, . . . The hosts of 
wicked spirits in the heavenly places, spoken of in 
Ephesians, are all subject to his will. ... In DaniePs 
time there was one of the devil's angels appointed to 
watch over the kingdom of Persia. He it was who 
had hindered the answer to Daniel's prayer for three 
weeks. . . . Michael the Archangel, who is God'j? 
representative ■ over the affairs of the Jewish people 



180 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

(v. 21), eame to the aid of the heavenly messenger 
in this conflict. . . . 'Our wrestling is not against 
flesh and blood, but against the Principalities, against 
the Powers, against the Rulers of tJiis world darJcness, 
against the hosts of wicked spirits in the heavenly 
places' (Eph. 6:12)." (Pettingill.) 

It seems probable also that God has his forces 
similarly organized for our help. Michael is called 
""Your prince" (Daniel's), and ^Hhe great prince 
who standeth for the children of thy people/^ (See 
also Jude 9, Rev. 12:7, Psa. 91:10, 11, Mt. 18:10; 
24:31; 26:53, Lu. 1:26, and many others.) 



LESSON TWENTY-FIVE 

AxTiocHus Epiphanes 

A detailed prediction of the wars that 
should succeed one another to the time 
of Antiochus Epiphanes: his atrocious 
treatment of the Jews and of the 
Temple, as typical of the final ^ kittle 
horn'' and his conduct. 

And the king shall . . . exalt himself, and magnify 
himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous 
things against the God of gods ; and he shall prosper 
till the indignation be accomplished. 

Home readings: Dan. Chap. 11, 12. If 
possible, also, in '^Voices from Babylon. ^^ 
(Seiss.) '^ Daniel.^' (Gabelein's, Stevens' or 
PettingilPs.) 

Class reading: Dan. 11:1-39 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What kings are mentioned in Dan. 11 :2 ? 

181 



182 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. "What Grecian king is indicated in vs. 3, 

4? 

3. What effort at an agreement, and be- 
tween what kings, should fail? Vs. 
5, 6. 

4. In the next war what booty should be 
carried to Egypt? Vs. 7-9. 

5. In the succeeding wars between these 
kingdoms, what land is mentioned in 
V. 16 as a sufferer ? 

6. How is "the glory of the kingdom'' to 
be next oppressed ? V. 20. 

7. What kind of person will next obtain the 
kingdom, and how? V. 21. 

8. Who shall be overwhelmed and broken 
before him? Y. 22. 

9. What is said of the league made with 
him? V. 23. 

10. What will he do in time of security ? 
V. 24. 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE 183 

11. What war does he stir up, with w4iat 
results, and why ? Vs. 25, 26. 

12. What is said about both of these kings ? 
V. 27. 

13. How is tlie ''holy covenant" affected? 
V. 28. 

14. How affected after his next war ? Vs. 29, 
30. 

15. What three sacrilegious things will be 
done? V. 31. 

16. Whom will he pervert, and how? V. 
32a. 

17. What things in Dan. 7:8; 8:9, 23; Rev. 
13 :5-7 seem to identify him ? 

18. What about the people that know their 
God? V. 32b. 

19. What about the wise from that time to 
the "time of the end"? Vs. 33-35. 

20. What will this "end time" king do? 
V. 36a. 



184 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

I 

NOTES 

1. At the time of this great vision, Daniel had 
already seen the first stage of fulfilment enacted of 
his first visions. The empire had changed hands. The 
^'Bear" had come into possession of it. Daniel 
wanted to know more about the coming changes and 
how they would affect his people. The disclosures of 
this last great vision were of intense intere3t to him. 
They outlined in considerable detail the events which 
were to make history for more than 350 years, 
culminating in the ^^contemptible" king, Antiochus 
Epiphanes, and his awful treatment of the Jews and 
Jerusalem. 

2. We have already learned to note that usually 
only the events which were to occur are disclosed, 
without any reference to the time intervening. So in 
these predictions, while the action seems continuous to 
V. 32, the statements in Vs. 33-35 cover the centuries 
that elapse between Antiochus Epiphanes and the time 
of the end, when a king of like character, or possibly 
this same king, satanically resurrected (Comp. Rev. 
13:2, 3), is to complete '^the indignation'^ which is 
determined upon Israel. The special interest to us in 
these details lies in the revelation of the probable 
character and conduct of the 'kittle horn'' at the time 
of the end. 

3. ''An important statement is made by the 
messenger when he declares that he has come to tell 
Daniel and make him understand 'what shall befall 
thy people (the Jews) in the latter days (or: the end 
of the days) ; for the vision is yet for many days (or: 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE 185 

for those days).' . . . While it has for a prelude, . . . 
the wars which were fought by the Ptolemies and 
others, and we behold a still more minute description 
of Antiochus Epiphanes, yet the vision concerns the 
Jewish people in the time of the end (the seventieth 
week, more correctly the last 3I/2 years." (Gabelein.) 

4. ''The three kings succeeding Cyrus were 
Cambyses, Pseudo-Smerdis and Darius Hystaspes. 
The fourth was Xerxes, who was indeed far richer 
than them all, for his riches were a marvel. How 
truly he stirred up all against the realm of Greece 
is a matter of common knowledge." (Pettingill.) 

This futile attack upon Greece was the beginning 
of the trouble with that country, finally ending with 
the victorious assault and subjugation of the Medo- 
Persians by Alexander the Great. The long w^ars of 
this vision were between two of his four generals who 
divided the empire among themselves, and their 
successors. 

5. ''Out of one of these four sections of the Mace- 
donian empire the prophet beheld the springing up of 
^a little horn' . . . which waxed great toward the 
south, the east and the pleasant or holy land even to 
the host of heaven — the hierarchy of the temple — ^some 
of w^hom it cast down and stamped upon, magnifying 
itself even to the Prince of the host (God himself), 
abolishing the daily sacrifice, wasting the sacred 
dwelling-place, polluting the temple . . . and enact- 
ing the most blasphemous and murderous scenes 
against Jehovah, His truth and His people. ... He 
came up from a very small beginning, from being a 
hostage at Rome, with no prospect of ever becoming 



186 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

a great king. He got the kingdom by deceits and 
flatteries. His conquests and depredations were all in 
the directions noted in the vision. And especially his 
treatment of the Jews, his profanations of the temple, 
his bloody tyranny against the faithful worshippers of 
Jehovah, and his blasphemous audacity over against 
God himself, well accord with what is said of this 
horn. . . . Suffice it to say that this vile man con- 
ceived the idea of establishing throughout his king- 
dom, inclusive of Palestine, the worship of Jupiter 
Olympus, identifying himself with that god, and 
intent on making his own worship univer-sal. "With 
infatuated zeal and stubbornness he tried to extirpate 
every other worship, and particularly the worship of 
Jehovah at Jerusalem. Among the Jews themselves 
he found many faithless ones ready to enter into his 
plans and to help on his idolatrous designs. He 
bought up these traitors, sold out the high priesthood 
to the highest bidders. . . . "With the most shameful 
perfidy and deceit he got possession of Jerusalem, fell 
upon its inhabitants, destroyed the lives of multitudes 
in cold blood, robbed and destroyed the houses, carried 
off women and children into slavery, made a military 
stronghold of the city, put the worst of men into it to 
watch for and slay every earnest believer in the God 
of Abraham who might come thither to do homage to 
Jehovah, polluted the sanctuary on all sides with 
innocent blood ... set the image of his own idol on 
the Almighty's altar, offered swine's flesh in sacrifice 
in special defiance of the God of Israel, and forced 
all Jews who would remain faithful to the religion of 
their fathers to hide themselves in the mountains and 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE 187 

desolate places, in order to save their lives. . . . The 
time which the angel gave as marking the duration of 
the treading down of the sanctuary by this horn like- 
wise accords with history/' (Seiss.) 

6. ^^He was smitten by Heaven with a frightful 
disease of the bowels. . . . From the Rosetta stone it 
is learned that after Jiis deatli lie ivas ivorshipped as a 
God/' (Mrs. Needham.) That he was not the final 
fulfilment of these prophecies is evident from the state- 
ments of Gabriel, and from the fact that Jesus and 
the apostles referred to their fulfilment as yet in the 
future. 



LESSON TWENTY-SIX 

The Time of the End 

That part of Daniers great vision which 
applies to the final catastrophies with 
which the age of Gentile rule is to end, 
the deliverance of a remnant of Israel, 
and the first resurrection. 

Jehovah will punish the host of the high ones on 
high, and the kings of the earth npon the earth. 
(Isa.) 

Thy dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise, 
(Isa.) 

Home readings: Isa. Chap. 24; Jer. 30:1-12. 
Class reading: Dan. 11:36-12:13. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What shall ^^the king^' in Dan. 11:36b 
speak ? 

188 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-SIX 189 

2. Whom shall he magnify? V. 37. 

3. How will he reward those who acknowl- 
edge him? V. 39. 

4. How will he come against the king of 
the south? V. 40. 

5. What land w^as alw^ays overrun in w^ars 
between these kings ? V. 41a, map. 

' 6. What mountain is mentioned in V. 45a, 
and where is it ? 

7. What shall then occur? V. 45b. 

8. AVho shall stand up at that time ? Dan. 
12:1a. 

9. What shall then be? V. lb; Jer. 30:7; 
Mt. 24:21, 22; Rev. 17:12-14. 

10. A^^o are to be delivered? Y. Ic. 

11. Who shall awake? V. 2; Comp. Rev. 
20:4, 5. 

12. Who shall shine? Y. 3. 



190 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

13. What was Daniel then told ? V. 4. 

14. What did he then see ? V. 5. 

15. Who was above the waters, and what 
question was he asked? V. 6. (Comp. 
Dan. 10:5a.) 

16. What was the reply, and how sworn to ? 
V. 7a. 

17. What should then be ended, and what 
finished? Y. 7b. 

18. When Daniel wanted to understand this 
what was he told ? Vs. 8, 9. 

19. Who will, and who will not understand 
at the end time ? V. 10. 

20. What dates are given, and where would 
Daniel be? Vs. 11-13. 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-SIX 191 



NOTES 

1. No doubt Antiochus Epiphanes partially, and 
typically, fulfilled Dan. 11 :36-39 ; but from V. 40 to 
the end of Chapter 12 the time of fulfilment is 
restricted to ^4he time of the end,'' in which he could 
not personally, and could only typically, participate — 
unless he should prove to be the satanically resurrected 
^'head" of Rev. 13:3-6. But if diabolical character 
is to determine who this head is to be, Antiochus 
Epiphanes could hardly claim supremacy. Atrocities 
committed in the recent world war outrank all prec- 
edents. Nothing in the past can compare with the 
atrocities, in extent, at least, committed in Belgium, 
Poland, and Armenia. Henry Morgenthau says, in 
reference to one place: ^'In Mamuret-ul-Aziz the 
people were subjected for two months to almost unbe- 
lievable torture, the families of the better class were 
dealt with most severely. Feet, hands, chests were 
nailed to a piece of wood; nails of fingers and toes 
were torn ; beards and eyebrows were pulled out ; feet 
were hammered with nails, as they do with horses; 
others were hung with their feet up and heads down 
over closets. ... In order that people outside might 
not hear the screams of agony of the poor victims, men 
stood around the prisdi wherein these atrocities were 
committed, with drums and whistles. . . . This 
massacre of the Armenians, judged by the numbers 
involved and the methods used, was the greatest single 
horror ever perpetrated in the history of humanity." 

2. But unless the Jews were also sufferers, Daniel's 



192 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

prophecy would not apply, as his vision has to do with 
the sufferings of his own people. 

Leopold Cohn, in ''The Chosen People'' (Jewish 
Christian), says: ''The Jew has been troubled in 
manifold ways, tossed from pillar to post by nearly all 
the nations on earth . . . but little outside of Jewish 
circles, has been said about the six million Jews upon 
whom this cruel war has brought the greatest misery, 
disaster, and outrages that ever happened to this 
unfortunate people . . . they are but another notice 
or an advertisement from the Ruler above, that the 
beginning of the end of this dispensation is at hand." 

3. "In Deut. 28:61 we read: 'Also every plague 
which is not written in the Book of the Law will the 
Lord bring upon thee.' . . . On the first day of 
August when the Jews observed the anniversary of 
the destruction of Jerusalem, on that very day 
Germany declared war on France and Russia. That 
indicated the beginning of a new epoch of Jewish 
history. It seemed to say . . . 'From now on you will 
be visited with the unwritten plagues.' And in all 
their afflictions of two thousand years one cannot find 
a record of such tragedies as the present war has 
brought upon them. The unparalleled cruelties, reign 
of terror, pillage, rape, and murder which the Russian 
Poland Jews experienced are of such a beastly nature 
as to render them unprintable. 

Again there are 500,000 Jews fighting in the oppos- 
ing ranks against one another. Many Jewish soldiers 
became instantly insane upon discovering that they 
had bayonetted their own brethren, and many Jewish 
soldiers were driven mad when compelled to partake 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-SIX 193 

in the pogroms made on Jewish towns when reoccupied 
by the Russians. Another unwritten plague is the 
fact that there is no sympathy for these six million 
starving Jews. ' ' ( Cohn. ) 

Antiochus Epiphanes was certainly outdone, then, 
in his cruelty to the Jews. 

4. Dan. 12:1 says that at that time, the end time, 
shall Michael the great Prince stand up. This 
evidently points to Rev. 12:7-17, which describes 
Michael's final encounter with Satan, the resultant 
joy in the heavens and woe on the earth, particularly 
to the Jew^s, the ''woman'' whom he persecutes at the 
time indicated in Dan. 12:1. This is the ''time of 
Jacob's trouble" of Jer. 30 :7. "But he shall be saved 
out of it." This will be more fully treated, as also 
the resurrections, in future lessons. (See lessons 34 
and 39.) 

5. Mr. Gaebelein (in his book "The Prophet 
Daniel," p. 200) does not consider the awakening 
from the dust of V. 2 a physical resurrection, but only 
a revival of Israel. Rev. Pettingill ("Simple Studies 
in Daniel," p. Ill) thinks it a real but separate 
resurrection for some of Israel. G. H. Pember ("The 
Great Prophecies," p. 463) considers this a first resur- 
rection for Israel. He renders it thus: "And many 
of them that sleep in the dust-formed ground shall 
awake: these (that is to say, those who awake) shall 
be for eternal life." Rotherham translates it "And 
many of the sleepers in the dusty ground shall awake, 
— these shall be to age-abiding life," etc. W. C. 
Stevens ("The Book of Daniel," p. 241) says: "It is 
the time of the resurrection of 'them that are Christ's 



194 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

at His coming : ' " but that this passage refers only to 
the 0. T. Israelitish portion of it. Dr. Seiss sees 
here the first and second resurrections so evident in 
other passages. The time of the first resurrection is 
at the beginning of the *Hime of the end/' the last 
3 1/2 years. The second resurrection is 1,000 years later, 
the time between the two is here evidently ignored. 

6. Daniel was commanded to seal up the book till 
*Hhe time of the end." This may refer to the latter 
part of this vision, as he was caused to understand 
what went before, but did not understand this (V. 8). 
But he will stand in his place after 12 :2 comes to pass, 
and will understand, and so may we. 



PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Pakt Four 

LESSONS TWENTY-SEVEN TO FOETY-SEVEN 

THE JUDGMENT DAY 

The closing events of this age and the 
opening events of the Millennial Age. 

The destruction of the present world 
powers; the dethronement and imprison- 
ment of Satan. 

The kingdom of the world becomes the 
Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; 
His rule with a rod of iron. 

a. The lessons of this part will be taken 
mostly from the book of Revelation, with 
references to other prophecies relating to 
the same things. 

&. ^^Tlie Revelation is the most neglected 
book in the New Testament, despite the fact 
that God has offered very great inducements 
for its study. In addition to the general 
blessings attending any study of the Scrip- 

195 



196 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

tures, special blessings is promised to those 
who give attention to this last book in the 
Bible. The third verse of Chapter 1 says: 
'Blessed is he that readeth, and they that 
hear the words of the prophecy, and keep 
the things that are written therein. ' ' ' (Pet- 
tingillj in '^ Simple Studies in The Revela- 
tion.") In the closing chapter of the Book 
this blessing is again emphasized. ^'Blessed 
is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy 
of this hook/^ said Jesus to John. And 
when John fell down to worship the angel 
who showed him these things, he was told 
^'See thou do it not; I am a fellow-servant 
with thee and with thy brethren the 
prophets^ and with them that keep the tvords 
of this hook: worship God/^ No other book 
ever had such endorsement as this ; and there 
is no other such high fellowship attainable 
on such generous terms. 

c. As a further testimony to the sacred 
value of this Book, Jesus uttered the most 
solemn warning ''unto every man that 
heareth the words of the prophecy of this 
book, If any man shall add unto them, God 
shall add unto him the plagues which are 
written in this book: and if any man shall 
take away from the words of the book of this 



THE JUDGMENT DAY 197 

prophecy, God shall take away his part from 
the tree of life, and out of the holy city, 
which are written in this book. He who 
testifieth these things saith, Yea : I am come 
quickly. ' ^ " Amen : come, Lord Jesus. ^ ^ 

d. Is it not amazing that, in spite of the 
blessings pronounced upon those who read 
and hear and keep the things written in this 
book, and the awful warnings against any 
kind of tampering with its words, any pro- 
fessing Christian, and least of all any 
minister of the gospel, should ever be heard 
ridiculing this book, or calling people who 
read and i^tudy it fanatics — or, on the other 
hand, any who would dare to pervert its 
teachings for the purpose of establishing any 
sectarian doctrine? And yet, are not both 
of these things done continually ? 

e. People are told that this is a sealed 
book, and that it is useless to try to under- 
stand it. Daniel was told to ^^seal up the 
book, even to the time of the end.'^ But 
John was told (Rev. 22:10), ^^Seal not up 
the prophecy of this book ; for the time is at 
hand.'' Isaiah (29:9-11, 18) prophecying 
of these latter times, says : ^^ All vision is be- 
come unto you as the words of a hook that is 
sealed^ which men deliver to one that is 



198 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

learned^ saying, Read this I pray thee ; and 
he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed: . . . And 
in that day shall the deaf hear the words of 
the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see 
out of obscurity and out of darkness/^ It is 
the Spirit of God who reveals obscure truths 
not mere human learning, and we must look 
to Him for the interpretation of what He 
has caused to be written. 

/. The uninspired title head of this book^ 
as men have printed it in our A. V. is : ^'The 
Revelation of St. John the Divine/^ But 
the real, original title is: ^^The Revelation 
of Jesus Christ/^ which is the first sentence 
of the inspired book. It is a revelation 
which God gave of Him, and of the things 
which are to come to pass in connection with 
His coming into possession of the Kingdom. 
He sent and signified it to John, by his 
Angel, but the revelation is of Jesus Christ. 
'^Some accept the words as if they were 
meant to express the revealment of the 
Revelation. ... It is not the Apocalypse 
which is the subject of the disclosure. This 
book is not the Apocalypse of the Apoca- 
lypse, but The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ. ^^ 
(Seiss, in ^^ Lectures on the Apocalypse.'') 

g. ''From all this evidence, we feel justi- 



THE JUDGMENT DAY * 199 

fied in believing that the Apocalypse con- 
sists of a series of visions, which set forth 
the events connected with ^the Revelation of 
Jesus Christ,' which will take place during 
Hhe Lord's Day' ; that day being so called 
because it is viewed as being then present; 
and as it had been called heretofore in 
prophecy, ^the day of the Lord.' " (Bul- 
linger, in ^^The Apocalypse.") 

Ji, ^^ John received divine instruction how 
to write the Revelation. . . . ^ Write there- 
fore what thou hast seen, and the things that 
are, and the things that are about to be after 
these.' . . . Between verse 11 and verse 19 
he saw a vision, which he was to write, and 
this vision constitutes the first section or 
division of the Book. The second and third 
chapters form the second division, the 
things which are. The beginning of the 
fourth chapter to the end of the Book is the 
final, the third division. There is no better 
and more logical key. And this key, given 
in the Book, determines the true interpreta- 
tion." (Gabelein, in ^^The Revelation.") 

i. A large number of books have been 
written on the Revelation for the purpose of 
establishing some theory, sectarian teaching, 
or peculiar view. The writer of such books 



200 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

usually adopts some system of interpreta-] 
tion which has been invented to suit the 
purpose ; or he has been led to believe what 
he writes, through some mistaken and un- 
scriptural system. Many of these follow the 
' 4iistoricar ' method, by which most of the 
Book is supposed to have been already ful- 
filled in historic events. But there is no 
harmony between these writings. It is an 
easy matter to fit various events into this 
scheme as suit the purpose of the writer. 

If we would know what the purpose of 
God is in His revelation, we must let Him 
show us His own methods of interpretation. 
We have been learning of His methods in 
previous lessonso We cannot understand 
the Book of Revelation if w^e ignore all 
other prophecy. No prophecy of Scripture 
is of private interpretation. Of course^ 
there is more or less disagreement in some 
details, even among those who seek to follow 
Bible methods of interpretation, but not in 
the main features. 

If we wish to know what God reveals, we 
must lay aside our own preconceived notions 
and listen to what he says. 



LESSON TWENTY-SEVEN 

The Day of Jehovah 

The great day in which God will judge the 
world; deliver it from Satan's rule, 
destroy those who refuse to submit to 
the rule of Christ, and establish Him on 
the throne of David, as King of kings 
and Lord of Lords. 

Inasmuch as lie JiatTi appointed a day in ivhicli he 
will judge the ivorld in righteousness by the man 
whom he hath ordained, (Paul.) 

Home reading: Part Four notes. 

Class reading: Zech. 14:1-21. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. How long is one day with the Lord ? 2 
Pet. 3:8. 

2. How is the day of Jehovah described in 
Zech. 14:6,7? 

201 



202 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. How is it described in Joel 2 :1-11 ? 

4. How described in Amos 5:18-20*? 

5. What is said of it in Zeph. 1 :14-18? 

6. What in Isa. 13:6-13? 

7. What in Mai. 4:1-3? 

8. What in Isa. 2 :12, 17-21? 

9. What more is specified in Isa. 24 : 17-23 ? 

10. What is said in Jer. 25:31-33? 

11. What in Joel 3:14-17? 

12. What in Hag. 2:6, 7, and how is this 
quoted in Heb. 12:26,27? 

13. Who besides men will be punished and 
who slain? Isa. 26:21; 27:1. (Comp. 
Rev. 12:7-9; 13:1, 2; 19:20; 20:2.) 

14. What is Israel advised to do, and why ? 
Zeph. 2:1-3; Isa. 26:20. 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN 203 

15. What is Israel promised in Jer. 30:7- 
11? 

16. Wliat is promised in Isa. 11 :11, 12 ? 

17. How wall persecuted and afflicted 
Christians fare ? 2 Thess. 1 :7-10. 



18. What will occur according to 1 Thess. 4 : 
16, 17, and 
Thess. 2 :l-4 



16, 17, and what must come first? 2 



19. How will that day come, and w^ho should 
not be so overtaken? 1 Thess. 5:1-5. 

20. What announcement did John hear in 
Eev. 6:17? 

NOTES 

1. ^^The harmony which exists throughout the 
Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is one of the 
strongest arguments for the plenary inspiration of the 
Scriptures. The unity we find here is supernatural; 
it is divine. The inspired writers of the Bible cover 
a period of almost two thousand years, living in many 
different ages and under different circumstances, yet 
all agree perfectly, and there is no clash of opinions. 
Such unity is a miracle. No human genius could 
produce it. There is nothing like it in all the literary 



204 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

products of men/' (Gabelein, in ''The Harmony of 
the Prophetic Word/') 

2. The same writer says: ''Our first aim will be to 
show that the entire prophetic Word predicts a day 
and a time when Jehovah will be revealed in the earth. 
This day is called repeatedly the day of Jehovah, a 
day of wrath and of judgment — a day followed by a 
continued manifestation of the Glory of the Lord and 
His righteous rule, as well as great blessings for the 
earth and its inhabitants. It has not yet come, and is 
still future. How prophecy harmonizes in speaking of 
this great future day we will now demonstrate. There 
is a continued and a progressive revelation of it which 
is not confined to the Old Testament prophets, but 
extends to the New Testament, with a fitting climax 
in the last book, the Revelation of Jesus Christ.'' 

3. The passages chosen for our lesson text are 
selected with reference to bringing out some of the 
principal teachings of prophecy as to the character 
and events of that day. But there are many other 
passages which refer to this day. The o2d chapter 
of Deuteronomy is said to be " a key to all prophecy. ' ' 
It is a comprehensive outline of the future of Israel, 
their apostacy, their terrible suffering, their final 
regathering, and a judgment of their -adversaries. 

"If I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take 
hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine 
adversaries. . . . For He will avenge the blood of his 
servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, 
and will make expiation for Ms land, for his people/^ 
(Vs. 41-43.) 

4. Israel is so conspicuous in the prophecies relating 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN 205 

to the great day of the Lord — the coming ''judgment 
day'' — that BuUinger considers that the Book of 
Revelation has to do only with Israel^ and the nations 
which have wronged her. He discusses this in great 
detail in his book ' ' The Apocalypse. ' ' But while it is 
generally acknowledged that Israel is foremost, in the 
opinion of most writers the Church of Christ and the 
world in general are also involved. Some writers, of 
course, who have some pet theory to prove, or sectarian 
tenet to establish, practically ignore the Jew, unless to 
heap ignominy upon him, as occasion offers. But in 
the light of all prophecy, Israel is conspicuous here. 

5. Very great misapprehension of the teachings of 
the Bible in regard to the judgment day is everywhere 
apparent. The terror of having to stand conspicu- 
ously before all the peoples of the world, and in 
particular before God himself, and answer for every 
wrong deed of my life, with the chances against me as 
to my eternal doom, was like a nightmare to me as a 
child. This might easily be a typical case for a large 
percentage even of Christian people. The world at 
large has vague fears and conceptions of coming 
retribution, of all sorts. Our only source of reliable 
information is the Bible, and particularly the Book 
of Revelation. 

^'We talk of the day of judgment as if it were a day 
of four and twenty hours. The day of grace has 
lasted two millenniums. How long may God^s day 
of judgment last? It is quite certain by Biblical 
prophecy that it will last a thousand years, for all the 
millennium is the day of judgment." (J. Campbell 
Morgan in ''The Teachings of Christ.") 



206 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

6. We speak of the day of judgment, as though 
there were only one judgment day. There was a judg- 
ment day in Eden. Adam and Eve were evicted and 
condemned to a life of unprofitable toil. They were 
excluded from the benefits of the fruit of the tree of 
life, and physical death became inevitable. But they 
were not condemned irretrievably or eternally. 

There was a world judgment in Noah 's ' ' day. ' ' All 
men, and the Nephilim and their mongrel progeny, 
perished, physically, except Noah and his family, who 
were saved, physically. 

Another judgment came upon men at Babel, where 
they had seemingly rejected God's rule, probably 
instituting idolatry, an ethical religion, and the setting 
up of human authority over against the authority of 
Jehovah. ^^Let us build us a city, and a tower, . . . 
and make us a name." ^^ Indeed, the great Tower of 
Babel is thought to have been a huge temple for 
idolatrous worship. . . . This was no petty revolt, but 
an open rebellion. . . . 'And Jehovah came doivn to 
see the city and the tower, which the children of men 
builded.' (Gen. 11:5)." (Stroh, in ''When God 
Comes Down to Earth.") Judgment followed in the 
confusion of tongues. 

Then there was the judgment of fire upon Sodom 
and Gomorrah, and later the ten plagues of Egypt and 
judgment of the first-born, retribution for ill-treat- 
ment of Israel. The judgment of nations ushers in 
the Millennial reign, which also ends in another judg- 
ment. These will be considered in detail in future 
lessons. 



LESSON TWENTY-EIGHT 

Jesijs the Judge 

The introduction to the Revelation; the 
vision of Jesus in the midst of the 
churches, typified as lamp-stands; His 
venerable dignity; His penetrating 
vision; The Word of God — as a two- 
edged sword — issuing from his mouth; 
His illuminating countenance. 

For neither doth the Father judge any man, but he 
hatJi given all judgment unto tJie Son; . . . and he 
gave him authority to eodecute judgment, because he 
is a Son of Man. ^ ' ( John. ) 

Home readings: Isa. 6 :l-5 ; Dan. 10 : 1~12. 

Class reading: Rev. 1:1-20. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. How did Jesus signify His Revelation 
to John? Rev. 1:1. 

207 



208 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. To what does John bear witness ? V. 2. 

3. For what three things is blessing 
promised ? V. 3. 

4. From whom are greetings of grace and 
peace? Va. 4, 5a. 

5. To whom does John ascribe glory and 
dominion, and why ? V. 5b, 6. 

6. What announcement does he make in V. 

7. AVhat declaration is made in V. 8 ? 

8. What does John say of himself in V. 9 ? 

9. In what condition was he, and what did 
he hear? V. 10. 

10. What was he commissioned to do? Y. 
11. 

11. When he turned around what did he see ? 
Vs. 12, 13. 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT 209 

12. How does he describe liis personal 
appearance? Vs. 14, 15a, 16c. 

13. What w^as his voice like? V. 15b. 

14. What w^as in his right hand, and what 
did they signify? Vs. 16a, 20b. 

15. What is signified by the sword proceed- 
ing out of his mouth? V. 16b, Eph. 6: 
17;Heb. 4:12. 

16. How^ did this vision affect John? V. 
17a. (Comp. Dan. 10: 8, 9.) 

17. What did Jesus then do and say? Vs. 
17b, 18. (Comp. Dan. 10:10.) 

18. What three things w^as John told to 
write? V. 19. 

19. What did the candlesticks of V. 12 
symbolize? V. 20c. 

20. According to 1 Pet. 4:17 where should 
judgment begin ? 



210 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

NOTES 

1. The length and majesty of the introduction to 
the Book of The Revelation, occupying the first nine 
verses, is another indication of the great importance 
of this book. It is impossible to fully cover all the 
items in these verses with suitable notes within the 
limits of one lesson. Dr. Seiss filled two chapters of 
his ^^ Lectures on the Apocalypse'' with comments on 
them. 

The opening verses give the title, the purpose of the 
revelation, the agency by which it was sent and signi- 
fied or attested, with John's added witness and the 
testimony of Jesus Christ. No other book ever 
written was so attested. Then comes the blessing upon 
those who hear and keep the things written in the 
book — ' ' For the time is at hand. " As we shall see in 
our next lesson, Jesus began his censure upon the 
churches, premonitory judgments which were to con- 
tinue in force through the church age. Then follows 
John's personal greeting to the churches, but also as 
spokesman for God, for the seven Spirits and for Jesus 
Christ. Then the wonderful ascription of glory and 
dominion, in which he voices the response of all 
Christendom down through the age. Then comes the 
climax in the announcement — a reiteration of oft- 
repeated prophecies — the glorious appearing of our 
Lord in the clouds. This is emphatically endorsed by 
an ''Even so. Amen," by the Lord God the Almighty, 
the Alpha and the Omega. In the ninth verse he 
introduces the vision which follows by giving the loca- 
tion in which it occurred, and the reason for his being 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT 211 

there — either as a preacher of the word of God and 
giving his testimony of Jesus — or banished to this 
island on account of having done so elsewhere. 

2. Reference to the Lord's day w^as formerly 
supposed to indicate the first day of the week; but 
recent writers conclude that the day of the Lord, of 
which our last lesson treated, is indicated — the mean- 
ing being that in the spirit, in vision, he w^as in that 
great day, as though it had come. Dr. Seiss, and 
others, take this view. If, then, the day of judgment 
had come, the appearance of the Judge on the scene 
was most appropriate. 

3. Among the notable characteristics of the Book 
of Eevelation are the great voices — voices of thunder; 
voices as of a trumpet; as the voice of many waters; 
loud voices; great voices; mighty and strong voices; 
the voice of mighty thunders; the voice of a great 
multitude, etc. This last expression seems to connect 
us with DaniePs great vision in which he saw this 
same impersonation whose voice was ^4ike the voice 
of a multitude." Indeed, John's vision seems to be 
a continuation and amplification of DanieFs vision, or, 
at least, of the events involved. These tremendous 
voices are further evidence of the mighty import of 
the scenes of the great day, as revealed in this Book. 

4. We must remember that this is a vision and not 
a reality. The reality is yet in the future. Jesus sent 
his angel, who displayed, in panoramic scenes before 
John, the enactments of the great day. Jesus appears 
here as the Judge. His appearance is most venerable ; 
His insight all penetrating; His judgments incisive 
and keen; His countenance banishing all chance of 



212 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

escape from his view; notning can be hid from its 
light ; when he utters his judgments it is as with a 
voice of many waters, the united assent of many 
peoples. In future lessons we will see Jesus charac- 
terized as a lion, a lamb, or in other type befitting the 
occasion. 

5. If such men as Daniel and John, the ^^ greatly 
beloved" and ^^the disciple whom Jesus loved,'' could 
not stand in His glorious presence, but fell on their 
faces '^ss one dead,'' is it any wonder that when the 
kings of the earth, and all subordinates, the rich and 
poor (of Chapter 6:15-17), see him on his judgment 
throne, they will try to hide from him and exclaim 
''who is able to stand?" 

6. When, in the vision, Jesus laid his right hand 
upon John and quieted his fears, he did so in words 
which identified himself as the same One who had^ 
loved John — the One who had suffered death, but was 
alive for evermore. But he also identified himself 
with ''the Lord God, the Almighty" of verse 8, when 
he said: "I am the First and the Last," the same as 
"the Alpha and the Omega." He alone has the keys 
of death and Hades, and as Judge will consign the 
condemned to them. But according to Mt. 16 :18, the 
gates of Hades are not to open for his Church. 

7. The mystery of the seven stars and the seven 
golden lamp-bearers is said to be the seven churches 
and the "angels" of the churches. The Church of 
Jesus Christ was a mystery not revealed in the 0. T. 
(see Eom. 16:25; Col. 1:26, 27). Lamp-bearers sup- 
port the lamps which give light to the world — the light 
of the gospel. Angels are messengers. Here they 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT 213 

represent, as Gabelein thinks, the spiritual church; 
but others think they are the ministers — those who 
give out the light by proclaiming the gospel. All 
through the 0. T. stars as types seem to refer to 
prominent men — conspicuous for their brilliancy — 
just as we speak of ^^star performers/' Being on the 
Lord's right hand indicates his special care and con- 
trol of them. They are subject to his guiding hand. 

8. The command to write is again repeated, the 
divisions under which John should write being speci- 
fied as, 1, ^^what thou sawest," the. vision of the Christ 
as the Judge; 2, ^'the things which are," in regard 
to the churches; and 3, ^^the things which shall come 
to pass hereafter," from Chapter 4 to the end of the 
Book. 



LESSON TWENTY-NINE 

Letters from Jesus 

Messages to the seven churches dictated for 
John to write. Words of commenda- 
tion and of condemnation. Words of 
warning and words of promise. Words 
to the churches, words to individual 
members of the churches. Words of 
immediate import and words of eternal 
import. 

For the time (is come) for judgment to begin at 
the house of God. (Peter.) 

And he put all things in subjection under his feet, 
and gave him to be head over all things to the 
Church. (Paul.) 

Home readings: Rom. 2:1-16; 1 Cor. 4:1-5. 

Class reading: Rev. 2:1-29. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. To whom are these letters addressed? 
Rev. 2:1a, 8a, etc. 

214 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-NINE 215 

2. How does the Dictator of these letters 
identify Himself in them? Vs. lb, 8b, 
etc. (Comp. 1:13-15.) 

3. What does he know" of each church ? Vs. 
2, 3, 9, 13, 19 ; 3 :1, 8, 15. 

4. Of how many of these churches does he 
have something against, and why? 

5. Which ones does he commend, and why ? 

6. Which of them does he warn to repent ? 

7. What punishments are threatened, and 
w^hy? 

8. What churches are not censured, and 
why? 

9. How is the state and works of the Sardis 
church described ? 3 :1b, 2. 

10. How does he describe the church of 
Laodicea? Vs. 15-17. (Comp. 2:9a.) 

11. Whom does he say he reproves and 
chastens ? V. 19. (Comp. Heb. 12 :6, 7 ; 
Prov. 13:24.) 



216 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. How might we avoid chastening, and 
why does the Lord chasten ? 1 Cor. 11 : 
31, 32 ; Heb. 12 :10, 11. 

13. By whom is every letter endorsed? 
Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, etc' 

14. Who is charged to hear what he says, 
and to whom does he say it ? The same 
verses. 

15. What promises are made to those who 
overcome? Vs. 7b, lib, etc. (Comp. 
Rev. 21:7.) 

16. How do Christians overcome? 1 Cor. 
15:57; Rev. 12:11. 

17. What is said about Jews in Rev. 2 :9 ; 3 : 
9, and Rom. 2 :28, 29? 

18. How many references are there to 
Christ's coming in these letters? 

19. Of what was the church of Sardis 
warned from which Jesus will keep the 
church of Philadelphia ? Rev. 3 :3, 10. 

20. What is this ^^lour" called in Rev. 14: 

7? 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-NINE 217 

NOTES 

1. Someone has noted the uniform construction of 
these letters, as follows : ' ' There are 7 epistles, each of 
7 parts: 1. The address. 2. Some divine attribute 
mentioned. 3. Statement of His knowledge of condi- 
tion and state of the church. 4. Commended, con- 
demned, counselled. (Exceptions: 1 church not com- 
mended, 2 not condemned.) 5. His coming an- 
nounced. (1 exception.) 6. Universal call to hear» 
7. Reward to the ultimate victor." 

^'Christ's relationship to His church, as shown in 
the vision of Chapter 1, and His letters to the 7 
representative churches, may, as an aid to memory, 
he expressed in the following 5 ^ ' P 's " ; Presence^ Pos- 
session , Power, (including both ability and authority), 
Protection, Provision.'' 

2. ^^The seven churches addressed by our Lord in 
the messages of Chapters 2 and 3 were not chosen 
from among the whole number of churches in Asia on 
account of their relative importance, for it is apparent 
that, excepting Ephesus, most of them were compara- 
tively unimportant and obscure. These seven 
churches were evidently selected because they repre- 
sented, in their spiritual condition, the seven succes- 
sive phases of the professing church throughout the 
present age. Seven is the number of completeness, 
and these seven letters gave beforehand a complete 
view of what the churches should be during the seven 
successive periods of the Dispensation." (Pettingill.) 

3. ^^But the question arises as to why Christians 
should be judged, since the Scripture says : ' There is. 



218 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

therefore, now no condemnation to them that are in 
Christ Jesus' (Rom. 8:1). The answer is that they 
are not judged as sinners but as saints. It is not a 
question of their salvation that is to be determined, 
but a question of their fidelity as disciples, in order 
to the adjudication of their rewards. The text 
parallels perfectly with such a parable as that of the 
talents or the pounds (Matt. 25; Luke 19) ... To 
quote A. J. Gordon in ^The Twofold Life': ^If the 
Romanist has exalted merit to the utter exclusion of 
grace, the Protestant may be in danger of exalting 
grace to the utter exclusion of merit ... it is not 
necessary, in order to magnify the grace of God, that, 
having reduced all men to the same level of unworthi- 
ness, we should fix them there forever.' " (Jas. M. 
Gray in '^Prophecy and the Lord's Return.") 

4. ^^Ephesus stands for the latter part of the 
apostolic era — that is, at the time John wrote. The 
letter gives commendation for good remaining, but 
warns against the evils that threaten. Judaism had 
shown itself, for . . . they said they were apostles, 
and were notf and were found liars — but they had 
been rejected by the Church. There were the 
Nicolaitans there also. This term doubtless describes 
those who sought to establish a separate order of 
priesthood among believers." (Pettingill.) For the 
further discussion of this subject, and the place of 
each church, typically, in the successive ages of church 
history, see ''The Apocalypse," (Seiss), Vol. 1. 

5. We can only briefly allude to some of the speci- 
fications in these messages from our Lord to the 
churches. There were only two of the seven churches 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-NINE 219 

with which the Lord did not find some fault. He calls 
the Smyrna church rich, in spite of its tribulation and 
poverty. It was suffering from attacks not only from 
Gentiles, but from unbelieving Jews of the synagogue 
of Satan. The ten days of tribulation foretold are 
supposed to refer to the ten periods of persecution to 
which the early church was subjected. ''When Poly- 
carp was tried and martyred (whom some regard as 
the angel of the church here addressed), we are told 
that the Jews joined with the heathen in clamoring 
for the good bishop's destruction, and were the most 
forward in bringing the fuel for the fire which con- 
sumed him.'' (Seiss.) The church of Philadelphia, 
the other uncensured church, also suffered from the 
persecuting Jews. It is said that all of the places 
mentioned except these two are now in ruins. The 
^'candle-stick" has been removed from them. 

6. There is an lioiir mentioned in two of these 
letters. The Sardis church is warned : " If therefore 
thou shalt not watch, / will come as a iJiief, and ilioii 
shalt not knoiv what hour I will come upon thee." 
The Philadelphia church was told that "Because thou 
didst keep the word of my steadfastness, I also will 
heep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to 
come upon the whole inhabited earth, to t^y them that 
dwell on the earth." There seems to be a special 
"hour" as well as "day" in which Christ warned 
that he would come as a thief. Mt. 24:36 says: "But 
of that day and hour knoweth no one." Rev. 14:7 
"Fear God . . . for the hour of his judgment is 
come.'^ The judgments which then fall will be con- 
sidered in a later lesson. 



220 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

7. God's purpose in sending tribulation upon 
churches and individuals is very evident in these 
letters, especially when taken with other passages 
quoted. God's love prompts chastisement, but his 
purpose is correction. It is evident that tribulation 
may be avoided, in a measure at least, by a strict 
compliance with God's will — making correction un- 
necessary. The Philadelphia church is to be kept 
from the great tribulation he cause it kept '^the word 
of my patience" or steadfastness. While these seven 
churches apply to seven periods, they also doubtless 
^PPly to individual churches and persons of all 
periods which are of the characters indicated. 

8. While these letters from Jesus are addressed to 
specified churches, the countersigning of them by the 
Spirit makes them applicable to all churches, as in 
every case it is stated that He says these things to 
the churches. 

9. The inducements to overcome, literally, to ' ' gain 
the victory, ' ' are worthy of most careful study. They 
seem to indicate something of the nature and degree 
of the rewards which are finally to be given to those 
who are loyal to Jesus Christ — the final and greatest 
of which is a ^eat with him on his throne — the highest 
gift in his power — even as he gained the victory and 
sat down with his Father on his throne. 



LESSON THIRTY 

The Laodiceax Church 

The last of the seven churches as typical of 
the last stage of church life. The char- 
acteristics appearing in the present day 
church that were specified of the church 
of Laodicea. The indications of the 
approaching end of the age. 

And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead 
many astray. And because iniquity shall be multi- 
plied, the love of tTie many shall wax cold, (Jesus.) 

Home readings: Heb. 12:1-29. 

Class reading: Rev. 3:1-22. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. How did Jesus describe the church of 
Laodicea ? Rev. 3 :15. 

2. Because it was lukewarm, what would 
he do? V. 16. 

221 



222 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. What did it say of itself? V. 17a. 

4. What did it not know? V. 17b. 

5. What did he counsel it to buy, and why ? 
V. 18. 

6. What is compared to gold tried by fire 
in 1 Pet. 1:71 

7. What does Mai. 3 :3 say about gold? 

8. What do Zech. 13:8, 9, and Isa. 48:10 
indicate as to refining fire, figuratively ? 

9. What, then, does Jesus do for those 
whom he loved, and what does he urge 
the church to do ? Rev. 3 :19. 

10. What does he represent himself as doing 
in V. 20a? 

11. What will he do if any man will hear his 
voice and open the door ? Y . 20b. 

12. When the coming of the Lord is at hand, 
who will stand before the doors ? Jas : 5 : 
8,9. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY 223 

13. What question did Jesus ask in Lu. 

18:8? 

14. What conditions are indicated of the 
end-time in Mt. 24:11-13? 

15. How are general conditions then com- 
pared with the days of Noah ? Vs. 37-39. 

16. How are they indicated in Lu. 21 :34-36 ? 

17. What lack is indicated in Mt. 25 :1-13 ? 

18. According to 2 Thess. 2:1-3, what will 
^^come first''? 

19. What will come in the last days accord- 
ingto2Tim. 3:l-5;4:3, 4? 

20. What kind of teachers would arise ? 2 
Pet. 2:1-3. 

NOTES 

1. Since it is evident to all that we are in the midst 
of a great religious world crisis, it is of special im- 
portance to us to know what the Bible has to say about 
the Church in its final aspect, as represented by the 



224 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Church of Laodieea, and by the statements of Christ 
and the apostles. Passages involved are given in the 
lesson texts. It is for us to inquire whether the present 
time is indicated. We should remember, too, that 
more than one type of church life may be present at 
any time — perhaps all types at the end time, as in the 
early time of the Church. But the outstanding 
characteristics of the 7th church are lukewarm indif- 
ference, selfish ease and luxurious living, along with 
unconsciousness of its real state of bankruptcy, and 
abject poverty and want and barrenness, with the 
possibility of yet acquiring gold tried in the fire of 
tribulation. 

2. Mr. Trumbull wrote, in the Sunday Scliool Times 
of Dec. 16, 1916: ^'In the situation of the world to- 
day, as the Christian Church looks forward to the 
second coming, there is an amazing and pathetic par- 
allel to the situation that preceded his first coming. 
We Christians today are joining forces with men who 
utterly reject our Saviour, in an effort to bring in 
universal and permanent peace, using every possible 
means except the means which God has provided. We 
are joining forces with those who scout the idea of 
the deity of Christ, in establishing social righteousness 
by law, by education, by every means except the blood 
of the Cross. ... If we Christians set our hope on 
civilization, on the wisdom of legislators, on the might 
and power of human intellect, we shall be sore puzzled, 
as were the Jews, to see all of these things going down 
in a crash as complete and overwhelming as the de- 
struction of the temple at Jerusalem.'' 

3. The Continent of May 16, 1912, said: ^^In the 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY 225 

Presbyterian communion, with some 1,300,000 com> 
municants, there is an appalling waste each year. 
Fifty-four thousand names were placed upon the ^sus- 
pended roir during the church year ended March 31, 
1911, which is about the average each year. Less than 
7,000 names were ^restored' to the communicant list. 
. . . And what is true of our own communion is 
equally true of the other great bodies. Literally, hun- 
dreds of thousands of American Christians each year 
drift away from their faith and practice.'' 

4. Dr. Robert F. Coyle, in Tlie Continent of Sept. 
2, 1915, wrote: ^^It may well be doubted whether 
there was ever a time when the Church had so much 
to contend against as in these days that are passing. 
She has always had difficulties and oppositions, and 
always will have, but her oppositions now are more 
^Tibtle and more insinuating than ever before. They 
create an atmosphere that blights and devitalizes. 
Once there was persecution. Christians were made to 
suffer for their faith. They were burned, or drowned, 
or sawn asunder, or stretched on the rack, or exposed 
to wild beasts. But the more they were harried and 
hunted and slain, the more the Church grew. . . . 
She lived through them all and grew mightily in spite 
of them. ... At the present time the deadliest weight 
about the Church's neck, the garrote that is choking 
the life out of her^ is indifference within her own 
ranks. The vast majority of her own members, judg- 
ing by their own conduct, do not care whether she 
lives or dies, goes up or down, drags her anchors and 
makes no progress, or goes bounding along with every 
inch of canvas to the breeze. They will lose no sleep 



226 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

one way or the other. . . . Multitudes of those who 
bear His name do not care enough to lend a hand, or 
forego a single comfort, or give up a Sunday auto- 
mobile ride, or turn a finger over to help. . . . In- 
difference — this is the one supreme hindrance of the 
Church today. I believe it is breaking the Saviour's 
heart. It is giving him the vinegar and the gall. It 
is hammering in the nails. ' ' 

5/^ 'Whatever, therefore, tends to degrade Christ 
as the divine and only Saviour, and to exalt and deify 
man, is essentially antichrist in its spirit and aim, 
whether it be found in the Roman Catholic or Prot- 
estant body. But this is precisely the tendency of 
the popular preaching of the day. The humbling doc- 
trines of God's word have given place in thousands 
of professedly Christian pulpits to the 'gospel of 
manhood,' as it is called, and to 'the development of 
the divine element in every human soul;' and there 
seems to be little recognition of the solemn truth, that 
the gospel of manhood is just the opposite of the 
gospel of Jesus, and that there is no divine element 
in any soul, until it is born again by the wonder- 
working power of the Holy Ghost, and thus made par- 
taker of the divine nature through faith in Christ." 
(Dr. Jas. H. Brooks in "Maranatha. ") 

6. "The man must be uninformed of the course of 
religious affairs ... or else smitten with blindness, 
who does not recognize that within the past few years 
a significant change has occurred. There have always 
been heresies and heretics, false teachers and apos- 
tates. But of recent years some denominations have 
officially left their base and apostatized. Sentiments 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY 227 

not long ago voiced by infidels . . . and looked at as 
hostile attacks on the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
are today being taught from many pulpits, and sedu- 
lously inculcated in universities and colleges and theo- 
logical schools whence the pulpits draw their supplies. 
Dr. Howard Osgood once read a paper to a number 
of gentlemen of the * destruction-critic ' stripe, and 
when he had finished, he asked them whether the 
things he had read did not fairly represent the latest, 
accepted, and ^assured' results of the ^higher criti- 
cism.' They answ^ered heartily in the affirmative. 
^Well,' said Dr. Osgood, ^I have only read extracts I 
culled from Paine and Voltaire.' {Gospel Advocate.) 
7. At the same time there perhaps never was a time 
when there was more earnest devotion to Christ, or 
lavish expenditure of money and life by loyal fol- 
lowers of Jesus. They are not Laodiceans. Self-sacri- 
ficing men and women are spending their lives in 
service in foreign mission work, ris^king everything for 
their Lord; and others in home lands are as true to 
Him as they. 



LESSON THIRTY^ONE 

A Vision ix Heaven 

The beginning of the panoramic views, dis- 
closing the personnel, the staging and 
the acts of the Great Day. A call by the 
same trumpet-voice to a second vision, 
revealing the heavenly source of power 
by which world judgments are decreed 
and executed. 

I saw Jehovah sitting upon his throne, and all the 
host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his 
left. (Miehaiah— 2 Ghr. 18 :18.) 

I am understanding; I have might. By me kings 
reign, and princes decree justice. (Prov. 8 :14, 15.) 

Home readings: Isa. 6:1-5; 
Eze. chap. 1 and 10 

Class reading: Rev. chap. 4 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What did John see in Rev. 4 :1a ? 

228 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-ONE 229 

2. What was he told to do, and for what 
purpose? V. lb. 

3. What did he see, according to v. 2 ? 

4. To what did he compare the One on the 
throne ? V. 3a. 

5. What is said to be like jasper in Rev. 
21:11? 

6. What was round about the throne ? 
4:3b. 

7. Who were round about the throne, and 
upon what ? V. 4a. 

8. How were they arrayed ? V. 4b. Note 5. 

9. What proceeded from the throne? 
V. 5a. 

10. What were before the throne ? V. 5b, 
(Comp. 5:6). 

11. What before the throne was like crys- 
tal? V. 6a. 

12. What were in the midst and round about 
the throne? V. 6b. 



230 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

13. Describe the faces of the living crea- 
tures ? y . 7. 

14. What other peculiarities had they? 
V. 8a. 

15. How do the living creatures of Eze. 1 :5- 
10 and 10 :14 resemble these ? 

16. How do they differ from them? 

17. What do the living creatures say and do ? 
V. 8b, 9. 

18. What do the 24 elders do and say? 
Vs. 10, 11. 

19. What vision is recorded in Ex. 24:9-11? 

20. What did Daniel see, as recorded in Dan. 
7:9,10? 



NOTES 

1. Chapter four begins the third and last division 
of the Book of Eevelation, ''the things which shall 
come to pass hereafter." A door was opened in heaven 
and John was called up to see the things which w^ere 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-ONE 231 

to come to pass hereafter. Evidently the things which 
take place in heaven are not to be visible on earth, 
or John would not have to go up to see them. There 
are plenty of things to be seen on earth as results of 
what is transpiring in heaven, for earth is ruled from 
heaven, and the most momentous of all conflicts is to 
be in heaven, as we shall see. 

2. The first thing which John saw in heaven was a 
throne and One sitting upon it. Isaiah, Ezekiel and 
Daniel describe similar visions of God upon his throne. 
None of them give any description of the throne it- 
self, except that Isaiah says it was ^'high and lifted 
up,'' and Ezekiel, in both descriptions, says it was 
like a sapphire stone. No throne is mentioned in Ex. 
24:10, where a select company of 74 men ^^saw the 
God of Israel/' on Mt. Sinai; but ^'as it were a paved 
work of sapphire stone, and as it were the very heaven 
for clearness" under his feet. Ezekiel speaks of a 
firmament as being under the throne ^4ike the terrible 
crystal" (Heb. ice) ; and John (Rev. 4:6) says, ''And 
before the throne, as it were a glassy sea like unto 
crystal." Possibly the ''sea" here may mean such 
a "sea" as stood before Solomon's temple, for the 
cleansing of the hands and feet of those who minis- 
tered before the throne (the ark), in the temple. 

3. In Ezekiel 's visions of the throne, he twice 
describes 4 "living creatures" in considerable detail, 
and which are called "cherubs" in the second, but 
are said to be the same as in the first. They each had 
four faces, man, lion, ox^ and eagle, 4 wings, and 4 
hands. They were under the firmament, which they 
bore upon their upper wings, while they flew with the 



232 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

other two, which, made a noise like great waters^ the 
voice of the Almighty, or of a host. Each one had a 
ivheel beside him, '^high and dreadful.' ' ''A. wheel 
within a wheel,'' ^^ whirling wheels," ^^ their rims full 
of eyes,'' ^^the spirit of the living creatures was in 
the wheels." 

Isaiah saw ' ' seraphs ' ' each with 6 wings, and heard 
them cry ''Holy, holy, holy." John saw 4 ''living 
creatures" like lion^ calf, man and eagle^ each having 
6 wings, and full of eyes, and they cried "Holy, holy, 
holy, the Lord Gody the Almighty.'' 

Wings and wheels suggest a movable throne, 
brought thither for a special occasion. Eyes, looking 
in all directions, all-seeing eyes, from which nothing 
can escape observation. 

4. Ezekiel says that "upon the likeness of the 
throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon 
it above." He describes his appearance as like glow- 
ing metal and fire. But nowhere is there any descrip- 
tion of His face. God said to Moses, "Thou canst not 
see my face ; for man shall not see me and live" (Ex. 
33:20). John says that "he that sat was to look upon 
like a jasper stone and a sardius.' In Rev. 21:11 
the glory of God is described as "like unto a stone 
most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crys- 
tal." It is supposed by some that the "jasper" (as 
its identity is uncertain), is the diamond — which 
seems to be described. Altogether the impression is 
that of indescribable brilliancy and. glory, light un- 
approachable, whiteness incomparable, wisdom and 
power immeasurable. In Rev. 20:11 the earth and 
the heaven are said to flee away from the face of Him 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-ONE 233 

that sat upon the great white throne. No wonder the 
wicked will try to hide from that face ! 

5. White is a symbol of purity and righteousness. 
Psa. 51:7 says: ''Wash me, and I shall be whiter 
than snow/' Isa. 1:16, 18, ''Wash you, make you 
clean ; put away the evil of your doings from before 
mine eyes . . . though your sins be as scarlet, they 
shall be as white as snow ; though they be like crim- 
son, they shall be as wool. ' ' In Dan. 11 :35 and 12 :10 
reference is made to those who are refined, purified, 
made white. At the transfiguration Jesus and Moses 
and Elijah were clad in ivhite — so white as no fuller 
on earth could whiten them. The angels at Jesus' 
tomb and the two men at his ascension were in ivhite. 
In Dan. 7 :9 the Ancient of days was in raiment ivhite 
as snow and his hair like pure wool : and in Rev. 1 :14 
"his head and his hair were white as white wool, 
white as snow. ' ' Perfect purity, perfect righteousness. 
We want to remember this symbolism, as white is men- 
tioned in a dozen places in the Book of Revelation. 

6. The priesthood of Israel was divided into 24 
courses, with a chief priest over each course. The 
Jewish Sanhedrin was their highest judicial council, 
and consisted of 70 elders, including the chief priests, 
and over which the High Priest presided. The elders 
sat in a semi-circle about the presiding ofiicer. The 
elders of Rev. 4:4 were priests, for in 5:8 they each 
presented incense to God ; and, like the priestly choir 
in the temple, had harps and sang. They also wore 
golden crowns, so that they seem to represent those 
who, as kings and priests, are to reign with Christ 
and sit in judicial council with Him. 



234 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

7. Gen. 1:24 says: ''And God said, Let the earth 
bring forth living creatures after their kind/' Gen. 
9:9, 10, ''Behold I establish my covenant with you 
(man), . . . and with every living creature . . . the 
birds (eagle), the cattle (ox), and every beast' ^ 
(lion). This was to be an "everlasting covenant be- 
tween God and every living creature that is upon the 
earth.'' It is three times specified that the rainbow 
should be the token of this covenant. This covenant 
was made at the close of the judgment of the Flood. 
At the close of this age, when the throne is set for 
another judgment, the rainbow encircles it, and all 
living creatures^ typically represented are still safe 
under it. These "living creatures" wear no crowns, 
but are intimately associated with the throne. In Eze- 
kiel's vision they support the throne. It is this living 
creation that proclaims the holiness of the Lord God, 
the Almighty ; and the 24 elders join in proclaiming 
Him "worthy to receive the glory and honor and 
power . . . because of thy will they were and were 
cr*eated/' It is an ode from all animate creation to 
God as Creator, Eedemption is not included in this 
ode. 



LESSON THIRTY-TWO 

The Sevex-Sealed Roll 

The Title Deed to Earth's Sovereignty de- 
livered to Jesus, the Lion-Lamb; no 
other worthy claimant appearing before 
the court of heaven. The great New 
Song in which all created beings unite 
in praise to Him that sitteth on the 
throne and to the Lamb. 

And he came even to the Ancient of days, . , . 
And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a 
kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages 
should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting 
dominion. ( Daniel. ) 

Some readings: Dan. 7:9-27. Psa. 2 
Class readings: Rev. 5:1-14; Jer. 32:6-15 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. After his ascension where was Jesus to 
be, and until what time? Psa. 110:1; 
Mt. 22:44; Mk. 12:36; Lu. 20:42; Acts 
2:34, 35;Lu. 22:69. 

235 



236 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. What further evidence have we that this 
occurred? Mk. 16:19; Eph. 1:20; Col. 
3:1; Heb. 1:3-5; 12:2. 

3. In v^hat official capacity? Heb. 8:1; 
10:12; Rom. 8:34. 

4. Wliat are subject to him in heaven? 1 
Pet. 3:22. 

5. What are to become subject to him on 
earth? Dan. 7:13, 14. 

6. What did John see in the right hand of 
God? Rev. 5:1. 

7. Whom did he see, what was said, and 
with what voice ? V. 2. 

8. Who was not found, and where ? V. 3. 

9. How did this affect John, and why? 
V. 4 ; 1 Cor. 15 :16-19. Note 6. 

10. How was his weeping stopped? Rev. 
5:5. 

11. What did John then see ? V. 6a. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-TWO 237 

12. How many horns and eyes did he see, 
and what do they signify? V. 6b. 
Note 8. 

13. What did this Lamb-Lion do ? V. 7. 

14. What did the living creatures and the 
elders then do? V. 8. 

15. What did they sing? Vs. 9, 10. 

16. Why was this a new^ song ? 

17. Why was Jesus worthy to take the book ? 

18. Who then spoke, with what voice, and 
what saying? Vs. 11, 12. 

19. Who spoke next, and what was saidl 
V. 13. 

20. How was this great praise service 
ended? V. 14. 



238 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

NOTES 

1. The riglit hand of God is mentioned many times 
in the Bible, often as the place of lionor or power. 
Psa. 110 :1 says : ^^ Jehovah saith unto my Lord (Heb. 
Adon, lord, master), Sit tliou at my right hand, until 
I make thine enemies thy footstool/^ V. 4 declares 
him to be a priest forever (Heb. ^'age lasting"), and 
5, 6, ''the Lord (Adon) at thy right hand will strike 
through kings in the day of his wrath. He will judge 
among the nations. He will fill the places with dead 
bodies. He will strike through the head of many 
countries. ' ' 

These are the things he is to do after the age ends 
in which he is officiating as High Priest, and is 
vested with authority as ^^goel" or redeemer of a 
lost estate, and with power to eject the occupant, 
who has no proprietary rights in it. 

2. The following quotation is from ^^The Macca- 
bean," organ of the American Zionists, of Jan. 1918. 
As this is a Jewish, non-Christian, source of infor- 
mation, it could not have been colored to fit this in- 
terpretation. ^'Solidarity and brotherhood between 
members of the same group are amongst the con- 
spicuous virtues of both the Hebrews and the Arabs. 
That feeling of brotherhood accounts for such pro- 
hibitions as that of taking interest on money lent to 
a kinsman, or of keeping as a pledge an indispensable 
garment or household article ; and it was at the basis 
of the institution, which anciently existed in both 
peoples, the 'redeemer.' In Israel one of the func- 
tions of the goel was that of a champion of an unfor- 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-TWO 239 

tunate and oppressed relative who had been obliged 
to sell a portion of his landed estate. It was the duty 
of the nearest kinsman to redeem the property and 
to restore it to the family to which both belonged. 
The Arab wali, or redeemer, is also the next of kin ; 
he is the avenger, the protector, and guardian of a 
kinsman's interests.'' 

3. ^^When an inheritance was thus alienated by its 
rightful possessor, there were tw^o books, or instru- 
ments of writing, made of the transaction, the one 
open, and the other sealed, specifying price and par- 
ticulars. ... A sealed book thus became a standing 
sign of an alienated inheritance, but so held as to be 
liable to be recovered on the terms specified. And 
when any one legally representing the original pro- 
prietor was found competent to lift and destroy that 
sealed instrument, and thus to buy back what had 
been deeded away, he was called the goel, or redeemer; 
so that now he had full right to dispossess whoever 
might be found on it." (Seiss.) 

4. ' ^ The book is very evidently nothing else but the 
title deed to this ^ Earth and the fullness thereof, the 
world and they that dwell therein.' His at the be- 
ginning by right of creation, it now becomes His for- 
ever by right of redemption. Jesus appears in this 
picture as the Goel or Kinsman-Redeemer, claiming 
and establishing His right of redemption. In the 
seventh chapter of Daniel there is a prophetic descrip- 
tion of the transfer of universal dominion into the 
hands of the Lord Jesus. ... 'I beheld till thrones 
were placed and the Ancient of Days did sit . . . the 
judgment was set, and the books were opened. . . . 



240 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the 
Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came 
to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near 
before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and 
glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and 
languages should serve Him . . .' This, then, is that 
for which everything waits and toward which every- 
thing tends — the great Day of Redemption , . . Our 
eyes should ever be on that day, as the apostle exhorts 
us, in Eph. 4:30 to 'grieve not the Holy Spirit of 
God, by whom ye are sealed unto the Day of Redemp- 
tion' . . . who, 'having believed, were sealed . . . 
unto the redemption of the purchased possession.'^ 
(Pettingill.) 

5. ' ' All heaven is engaged in singing the worthiness 
of God as Creator; and the worthiness of the Lamb 
as the Redeemer. Surely these are the dominant 
personages of the whole book. These are the themes 
which form its subject ; viz., the removal of the curse 
from creation, the redemption of the purchased in- 
heritance, the ejection of the great usurper; and all 
accomplished through the payment of Redemption's 
price by the merits of the Lamb, and the putting forth 
of Redemption power. ... If the price be paid and 
there be no power to take possession and eject the 
holder, the payment is in vain. And if power be put 
forth and exercised in casting out the usurper, with- 
out the previous payment of the redemption price, 
it would not be a righteous action. So that for the 
redemption of the forfeited inheritance two things 
are absolutely necessary, price and power. The first 
redemption song had for its theme the payment of 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-TWO 241 

the price. The second celebrates the putting forth of 
the power,'' (Bullinger.) 

6. Doubtless many have wondered why John wept 
when no one was found worthy in the heaven, or on 
the earth to open the book, or even to look thereon. 
He not only wept, but ivept much — as though heart- 
broken, Dr. Seiss says: ^^John knew by that Spirit 
in which he was what that sealed book meant. He 
knew that if no one was found worthy and able to 
take it from the hand of God, and to break its seals, 
that all the promises of the prophets, and all the 
hopes of the saints, and all the pre-intimations of a 
redeemed world, must fail. He understood the office 
of the Goel, and that if there was failure at this 
point, ^the redemption of the purchased possession' 
must fail. . . . Was the promised inheritance . . . 
to go by default into eternal alienation? How could 
he bear the thought T' 

7. It is very important to notice carefully the 
special songs and sayings of this Book, and who sing 
or say these things. In the American Revision these 
sayings are easily distinguished by the way they are 
printed. These sayings give us clues to interpretation. 
In chapter 4 it is the Living Creatures who introduce 
the Sitter upon the throne with the saying of verse 
8. The prostration, worship and recognition of His 
worth by the elders in the saying of verse 11 is on 
account of his having created all things. The saying 
of chapter 5 :9 is in recognition of the worth of Jesus, 
as Redeemer, to take the book, and open the seals. 
Then note the interest of all angels and created beings 
in heaven and earth, swelling to a grand climax 



242 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

the praise of the universe for the redemption of the 
world in vs. 13, 14. 

8. Significance attaches to certain numbers in the 
Bible. The number seven seems to signify completion 
or perfection. Creation was completed in seven 
^^ days'' — a full week. Seven years was the limit of 
servitude in Israel. Seven sevens of years brought the 
year of Jubilee, etc. A horn typifies power. Seven 
horns-^all powerful. Seven eyes, all seeing. Jesus, 
the Lamb that was slain, is omniscient and omnipotent. 



LESSON THIRTY-THREE 

The Conqueror Crowned 

The opening of four seals of the Book. The 
disclosures following the opening of 
each seal, and their relation to other 
prophecies, especially to the signs of the 
end of the age, as foretold by Jesus. 

Remove tJie mitre, and take off the crown; . . . un- 
til he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. 
(Eze. 21:25-27.) 

Mk. 13:1-23; Lu. 21:5-36 

Class reading: Psalm 72 
Home readings: Jer. 25 :15-33 ; Mt. 24 :l-28 ; 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What did John hear when the Lamb 
opened the first seal? Rev. 6:1. 

2. What did he then see, and what was in 
the rider ^s hand? V. 2a. 

243 



244 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. What was given him ? Y . 2b. 

4. What was he doing, and to do ? V. 2c. 

5. Whose day is come, in the time of the 
iniquity of the end, to take off the 
crown? Eze. 21:25, 26. 

6. To whom shall it be given? V. 27. 

7. When do the inhabitants of the world 
learn righteousness? Isa. 26:9. 

8. What is said of Jesus in Mt. 12 :20? 

9. When the second seal was opened what 
came forth ? Rev. 6 :4a. 

10. What was given to its rider ? V. 4b, c. 

11. What came forth when the third seal 
was opened, and what did the rider have 
in his hand ? V. 5. 

12. What did one of the living creatures 
say? V. 6. Note 6. 

13. What did John see when the fourth seal 
was opened ? Vs. 7, 8a. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-THREE 245 

14. What authority was given to these three 
messengers to earth ? V. Sb. 

15. What four sore judgments of God are 
named in Eze. 14 :21 ? 

16. What would people be saying before 
that day came ? I Thess. 5 :2, 3. 

17. What does Jer. 25:31-33 say of that 
time? 

18. What did Jesus say of it in Lu. 21: 
10,11? 

19. Of what did he say these things were the 
beginning? Mt. 24 :7, 8 ; Mk. 13 :8 ? 

20. Are not these things now here ? 



NOTES 

1. If the scroll which, was delivered to the Lamb 
is the title deed to a lost inheritance, and the redemp- 
tion of this inheritance gives the Redeemer power to 
eject the usurper and to conquer or destroy his sub- 
jects, it would seem reasonable that the opening of 
the seals of the scroll should reveal these powers and 



246 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

the means by which the usurper is to be dispossessed 
and his subjects conquered. And so, at the opening 
of the first seal, in response to a voice of fhimder from 
tJie throne, a Conqueror appears. He is already 
conquering, and is to conquer. He rides a white 
horse. It is a conquest of rigJiteoiisness — coming with 
the speed and power which the horse represents. It 
is the character in which Christ begins the process 
of gaining possession of the redeemed inheritance. He 
comes as Commander in Chief of an invisible army; 
and his staff officers follow Him upon horses of colors 
which designate the character of their commissions. 
He has been conquering and gaining the allegiance of 
many millions through a gospel propaganda, and test- 
ing their loyalty to Him by fires of tribulation and 
persecution. Now He will conquer a great multitude 
at the end of the gospel age by the judgments of 
war, famine, and pestilence. ^^When thy judgments 
are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn 
righteousness. ' ' 

2. ^^I take the opening of these seals as significa'nt 
of the Lion-Lamb's entry, by successive stages, upon 
the right and possession of the earth, and his actings 
of judicial power and sovereignty whereby he asserts 
and enforces his claim and title as the victorious kins- 
man of our fallen race, to the end that all its ter- 
ritory, kingdoms, peoples, and tongues may thence- 
forward be manifestly and in fact his forever. . . . 
It is the judicial proceeding of the Almighty Goely to 
rid 'the purchased possession' of the dynasties of 
wickedness, to cast out the rulers of the darkness of 
this world, to restore the earth to its proper fertility 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-THREE 247 

and peace, and to bring in the empire of righteousness 
and salvation. ... It therefore proves to us that the 
opening scenes of the judgment include revolutions 
in the religious views and feelings of men, subduing 
them into submission to the word and sovereignty of 
God in unexampled generality and power. To the 
same effect is the prophecy of Joel, where he con- 
nects the great outpouring of the Spirit of God, with 
the incoming of ^the great and terrible day of the 
Lord." (Joel 2:28, 32.) Seiss.) 

3. Some writers interpret this rider upon the white 
horse to be the coming Antichrist. But we cannot 
make white Mack. If, everywhere else, white repre- 
sents righteousness, it cannot represent anything else 
here, especially its very opposite. It is by such 
processes that prophecy is made to fit every kind of 
human theory. Again, the Antichrist is not to be 
called forth from the throne of God, nor to be given 
a crown in heaven. He is not to conquer, but is to go 
down in everlasting defeat, 

4. ^^I have shown that horses, in prophetic vision, 
are images of God's swift, invisible, resistless power 
for the defense of his people, especially in its going 
forth upon the proud, guilty, and unbelieving world. 
It was so in the case of those seen by Elisha 's servant, 
and in the case of those mentioned by Zechariah. In 
these four different horses and horsemen, we are to 
see four different forms of the coming forth of the 
judicial power of God upon the inhabitants of the 
earth, looking to the breaking up of the dominion of 
wickedness. ' ' ( Seiss. ) 

5. ^^John beheld a second horse, called into action 



248 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

in like manner as the first. . . . The color of this 
horse is red — jiery — the line of blood. This itself is 
indicative of vengeance and slaughter. . . . His work 
is specifically described to be the taking of peace out 
of the earth. A great and terrible weapon is also 
put into his (the rider's) hand; not the ordinary 
sword of war (romphaia) but (machaira megale), a 
great sword of one having the power of life and 
death. And the result of his presence is w^ar. . . . 
The picture is terrific. It presents not only disturb- 
ance of the relations of nations, the rising of nation 
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; but 
internecine collisions, civil wars, the murderous hate 
of one portion of citizens exercised against another 
portion, and bloody commotions all over the face of 
society, having no issue but wretchedness and depopu- 
lation." (Seiss.) This is the final fulfilment of Jer. 
25 :29-31. 

6. In Jer. 14:1-6 there is a vivid description of 
famine conditions. '^They sit in Mack upon the 
ground" — is one of its statements. Lam. 5:10 says: 
^^Our skin is black like an oven, because of the burn- 
ing heat of famine." So in Eev. 6:5 black is the 
color of the horse representing famine. Food stuffs 
are carefully weighed and measured. A quart of 
wheat sells for a day's w^ages. And the oil and wine, 
luxuries and intoxicants forbidden. ^^Let them alone 
—do not touch them." The world war created such 
conditions. "Whole nations were restricted in the use 
of food. Daily rations were weighed and measured; 
the use of luxuries and intoxicants was largely pro- 
hibited and the end is not yet. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-THREE 249 

7. ^^A pale, death-green, and cadaverous horse ap- 
pears; (ehloros) translated pale^ denotes a leprous 
color. (Lev. 13 :49 ; 14 :37.) It properly means gi'eeriy 
and is several times so translated in the Apocalypse 
and elsewhere. . . . When applied here, it can only 
mean a greenish ghastliness, something like the color 
of a corpse or putrefying flesh." (Seiss.) The latter 
half of verse 8 is the commission given these three 
horses and riders — thrown upon the screen in suc- 
cession, but acting more or less in concert. These con- 
ditions, still largely covering '^the fourth part of 
the earth, ^ ^ the territory of the beast-empires of Dan. 
7, are very evidently fulfilling Jer. 25:15-33, and 
Jesus' sign-prophecy of nation rising against nation^ 
and kingdom again kingdom, before our own eyes. 



LESSON THIRTY-FOUR 

The Exd of The Age 

The signs of the coming of our Lord in judg- 
ment as found in O. T. prophecies, and 
in the words of Christ and the Apostles, 
and as indicated in the sixth chapter of 
the Book of Revelation. 

And as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples 
came unto him privately, sa^dng, Tell us when these 
things shall be? and what shall be the sign of thy 
coming, and of the end of the age? (Matthew.) 

Home readings: Mt. 24 :1-51 ; Mk. 13 :l-36 

Class readings: Lu. 21:5-36; Rev. 6:9-17 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. For what sign did the disciples ask ? Mt. 
24:3; Lu. 21:7. 

2. To whom are we specially indebted for 
this request, and what caution did Jesus 
give them ? Mk. 13 :3-5. 

250 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR 251 

3. What were they not to be troubled about, 
and why ? Mt. 24 :6 ; Mk. 13 :7 ; Lu. 21 :9. 

4. What signs did he first give tliem ? Lu, 
21:10,11. 

5. Of what did Jesus say these were the be- 
ginning ? Mt. 24 :7, 8 ; Mk. 13 :8. 

6. What other signs did he give them? 
Lu 21 :25, 26. 

7. Wlien should these signs appear accord- 
ing to Mk. 13 :24, 25 ? 

8. How soon after? Mt. 24:29. 

9. What sign shall then appear? Mt. 
24:30; Mk. 13:26; Lu. 21:27. 

10. When these things begin to come to pass, 
what should we do, and why ? Lu. 21 :28. 

11. What parable, and what comparison are 
recorded in vs. 29-31? (Comp. Mt. 
24:32, 33-Mk. 13:28, 29.) 

12. Within what time would all then 



252 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

''verily'' be accomplished? Mt. 24:34; 
Mk. 13 :30 ; Lu. 21 :32. Note 10. 

13. With what remarkable statement does 
he emphasize the certainty of this in the 
following verse in each gospel ? 

14. What injunction did he then give? Lu. 
21 :34-36 ; Mk. 13 :33-36 ; Mt. 24 :42-44. 

15. What signs do Joel 2:30, 31, and Acts 
2:19, 20, say will be shown, and before 
what ? 

16. From whose face do men seek to hide in 
Eev. 6:15, 16; Isa. 2:19-21? 

17. What declaration is then made? Rev. 
6:17. 

18. When does Paul say that day will come ? 
1 Thess. 5 :3. 

19. Why should not we be so overtaken? 
Ys.\ 2, 4, 5, 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR 253 

NOTES 

1. This lesson is one of the most important in this 
whole course. Great confusion exists in the minds of 
many in regard to the teachings of these passages. 
We must carefully analyze the questions which the 
disciples asked. Mark considered those questions of 
sufficient importance to record the names of the four 
disciples who asked them. Jesus considered them of 
such importance that he delivered his most noted 
prophetic utterance, known as ''the Olivet discourse/' 
in response to them. "We have reason to thank those 
four young men for asking, and the three others who 
so fully recorded the questions and our Lord's most 
interesting reply ; and, most of all, to thank Him for 
the disclosures He made. 

2. There were two . questions. First, ''When shall 
these things be ? " This question was in regard to the 
destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. This we 
are omitting, as that event occurred in a.d. 70, and is 
now in the past. The second question Matthew records 
as ' ' What shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end 
of the agef'^ Mark says: "What shall be the sign 
when these things are about to he accomplished?" 
Luke says: "What shall be the sign when these things 
are about to come to pass?" They did not ask him 
what was to occur after his coming, or of the judg- 
ment scenes to follow. They asked only for a sig7i 
by which the nearness of His presence could be dis- 
cerned, and the judgment scenes ahont to be accom- 
plished — about to come to pass. 

And these are the questions which Jesus answered. 



254 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

True, he went beyond their request, for he gave them 
not only the first great sign, but added others which 
were to follow later. Then, according to Matthew 
(Chap. 25), he added two important descriptive 
parables, and a description of the separation of 
nations. 

3. Notice, now, how perfectly the signs which Jesus 
gave to the disciples fit the opening of the seals of 
Rev. 6. There is no sign to fit the opening of the first 
seal, perhaps, as the crowning of the Conqueror occurs 
in heaven. He carries a bow, the sign of a conqueror, 
but no arrows are seen. And yet, Mt. 24:14 is often 
quoted as a sign which must be fulfilled before the 
end comes. And is not the ever increasing impetus of 
the world-wide missionary movement of the past 100 
years evidence that The Conqueror has been crowned 
in heaven, and has been directing his bloodless con- 
quest from the skies ? And has not this gospel already 
been preached unto all the nations for a testimony? 
But since the beginning of the great war, which, in- 
deed, on the one hand, was causing a great falling 
away among certain classes, was on the other hand 
opening up opportunities for Christian conquest such 
as have never before been opened. Never before was 
the Bible, or Testament, in such demand as now, or 
such fields white for harvest. 

4. The immediate cause of this sudden sobering of 
millions of men, and their readiness to surrender to 
the Conqueror, was the appearance of the three other 
horses and riders, bringing war, famine, and pestilence 
over a fourth part of the earth, and the atp of tJie 
wine of God's wrath, which is even yet being held to 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR 255 

the lips of every nation on earth. ^^And they shall 
drinkf and reel to and fro, and he mad, because of the 
sword that / will send among them/' 

5. According to Matthew and Mark ''those days 
shall be tribulation, such as there hath not been the 
like from the beginning of the creation which God 
created, until now and never shall be/' Certainly, 
there never before was such tribulation as the world 
has witnessed since the war began. It is usually con- 
sidered that this refers to the ''time of Jacob's 
trouble" of Jer. 30:7 and Dan. 12:1, where Daniel 
says "there shall be a time of trouble such as never 
was, ' ' etc. ; and this seems to apply specifically to a 
time later than that mentioned in Matthew and Mark. 
But one is evidently a tvorld-wide tribulation, not 
equaled since creation, the other strictly Jewish, not 
equaled since there w^as a nation. We may not be 
able to harmonize this seeming discrepancy, unless 
we consider both as applying to the time of the end 
in general. Certain it is, that both Matthew and 
Mark place this world tribulation before some of the 
other signs of the coming of the great day. In Jer. 
30:6, 7 the "time of Jacob's trouble" is twice com- 
pared to travail. Twice also in Mic. 4 :9, 10, and once 
in 5 :3, and again in 1 Thess. 5 :3. Travail comes in 
successive pangs. Jesus said of the signs which he 
gave, "All these things are the beginning of travail/^ 
Israel's travail is already begun; but her final pangs 
are yet to come. The great tribulation, or "distress of 
nations,' ' ends before the sun is darkened. 

6. The sign which immediately follows that tribula- 
tion is the darkening of the sun and moon and the 



256 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

falling of the stars, which, in Rev. 6 :12, 13, occur at 
the opening of the sixth seal; ^^and then/' according 
to Mt. 24:30, Mk. 13:26, and Lu. 21:27, ^^and tlien 
shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven' ' — 
^'the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power 
and glory'' — *^the Son of Man coming in a cloud with 
power and great glory," This is distinctly stated by 
Matthew to be a sign — not the actual coming to earth. 
Rev. 1:7 says ^^ Behold he cometh with clouds; and 
every eye shall see him.'' And all the tribes of earth 
mourn. So in Rev. 6 :16 they cry for hiding from the 
glorious ^'face of him that sitteth or the throne," 
which John saw in heaven — not on earth. And it is 
not until this occurs that the announcement is made 
in V. 17 that the great day of wrath is come. This 
agrees also with Joel's prophecy, quoted also in Acts, 
where the darkening of the sun and moon is mentioned 
as among the signs which would appear before the 
''great and terrible day of the Lord cometh." In 
other w^ords the ''day" does not begin until the last 
sign appears — the Judge on his throne in the clouds, 
7. The first act of the Son of Man as he sits upon 
his judgment throne, according to Matthew and Mark, 
is the sending forth of his angels — "messengers" — 
"with a great sound of a trumpet ^ and they shall 
gather together his elect from the four winds, from 
one end of heaven to the other." Some consider this 
the time of the first resurrection and translation of 
the saints. There is the sounding of a trumpet, but 
it is not the last trump. There is 'no Scripture warrant 
for the notion that Jesus will come for his saints 
silently, "For the Lord himself shall descend from 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-FOUR 257 

heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 
and with the trump of God;'' then we are to be caught 
up to meet him in the air. But there is nothing said 
here, in Matthew and Mark, about any resurrection, or 
translation. It is not yet time for these. They do 
not occur among the signs, nor until later in the 
^^day'' — as we shall see in a later lesson. 

8. There is a prevalent notion that the trumpet caU 
of John to come up into heaven (Rev. 4:1), is typical 
of the trumpet call to the saints for the rapture. But 
there is no indication that this is intended to be typical 
of that event, any more than that the trumpet call to 
John in 1 :10, 11 is intended to be typical of a similar 
call to the saints to write letters to the seven churches. 
And if we are correct in seeing in the great war of 
1914-19 the great sword of Rev. 6 :4, the time is already 
past, in the order of events, for such a translation, 
to correspond with John's call. 

9. Jesus said, ^^When ye see these things begin to 
come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because 
your redemption draweth nigh/' Then, after giving 
them the parable of the fig tree budding out as a sign 
that Summer is nigh — ^we see and know of our own 
selves that it is — ^^Even so ye also, when ye see these 
things coming to pass, knoiv ye that the kingdom of 
God is nigh/' "We are not to guess, but to know; and 
we are to know because we see these things coming to 
pass. "We are then to be here to see them ; otherwise 
they could not be signs to us. 

10. Immediately following these statements, and as 
a further assurance of the nearness of the coming 
Kingdom, Jesus said: ^^ Verily I say unto you, that 



258 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

generation shall not pass away, till all things be ac- 
complished." Strangely, the Greek '"haute" has here 
been translated "'this" in our English versions. It 
may mean either ^"this" or '4hat." It cannot here 
refer to the generation living in the time of Christ, 
and it certainly does refer to the time ""when these 
things are coming to pass." They — tliese things — 
shall then be accomplished within a generation at that 
time. 

11. The results of the opening of the fifth seal are 
not visible to us, as it has to do with disembodied souls. 
It comes before the darkening of sun and moon. Seiss 
says that under the altar of Solomon's temple was a 
great underground cavity, which he has seen, and into 
Avhich the blood of the victims of the altar flowed. 
""And as the life of the animal was in its blood, this 
vast subterranean cavity was, naturally enough, re- 
garded as the receptacle of the lives of the victims 
which were there slain. The Mohammedans to this 
day, as I was told on the spot, regard it as the place 
where spirits are detained until the day of judgment. 
They call it The Well of Spirits. . . . All martyrs 
are contemplated as sacrifices to God. And as sacri- 
fices to the heavenly altar, their souls pass into the 
sacred receptacle beneath that altar." 



LESSON THIRTY-FIVE 

Separatioxs axd Sealixgs 

Judgment of nations and separation of 
sheep from goats. The sealing of the 
elect of Israel in their foreheads. The 
great multitude which no man could 
number out of every nation and of 
-tribes and peoples and tongues, stand- 
ing before the throne. 

When the Son of Man shall come in his glory . . . 
before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he 
shall separate them one from another as the shepherd 
separateth the sheep from the goats. (Jesus.) 

Home readings: Mt. 13 :36-52 ; 25 :31-46 ; 
Eze. Chap. 8 and 9. 

Class reading: Rev, 7:1-17. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What scene did John next witness? 
JRev. 7:1. 

259 



260 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. Whom did he next see, from where, and 
what did he have? V. 2a. 

3. How did he cry, and what did he com- 
mand? Vs. 2b, 3. 

4. How many were sealed, and who? Vs. 

4-8. 

5. What was the seal mark? Rev. 14:1. 

6. What similar vision did Ezekiel see ac- 
cording to Eze. 9 :3-6 ? 

7. How and where, and to what day, are 
Christians sealed ? 2 Cor. 1 :21, 22 ; Eph. 
1:13, 14; 4:30. 

8. From where shall the elect be gathered 
when Jesus comes with power and great 
glory? Mt. 24:30, 31. 

9. Where will he then sit, who next will be 
gathered, and for what purpose? Rev. 
6 :16;Mt. 25:31-33. 

10. What will the King say to those on his 
right hand, and why ? Vs. 34-36. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-FIVE 261 

11. What shall he say to them on his left 
hand, and why ? Vs. 41-43. 

12. By what parables did he illustrate this 
separation in Mt. 13:37-43, 47-50? 

13. What question is asked in Rev. 6 :17 ? 

14. Whom did John see standing before the 
throne in Rev. 7 :9a ? (Comp. Mai. 3 :2.) 

15. With what were they arrayed, and Avhat 
was their cry ? Vs. 9b, 10. 

16. Who were standing around about the 
throne, and what did they do and say? 
Vs. 11, 12. 

17. These in white robes, who are tltey^ and 
whence came they? Vs. 13-15a. (Comp. 
Mt. 24:21.) 

18. What protection shall they enjoy, and 
what exemption? Vs. 15b, 16. (Comp. 
Isa. 49:10.) 

19. What shall the Lamb be to them? V. 
17a. 

20. What shall he do for them? Vs. 17b, c. 



262 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

NOTES 

1. Persons familiar with the teachings of leading 
commentators will see that the notes on these lessons 
are not in entire harmony with them. This is not 
because of any desire to differ, or to introduce novel- 
ties, but from honest conviction after most careful 
-and prayerful study. Do not hesitate to read what 
others teach, and after comparison with these notes, 
and especially with the Bible, draw your own con- 
clusions. 

2. The first scene presented after the announcement 
that ^^the great day of their w^ath is come,'' is that 
of four angels at the extremities of the earth, holding 
the four winds of the earth. ^^The four winds'' are 
often mentioned in the Bible. Jer. 49 :36 says that 
Elam should be scattered to the four winds. Zech. 
2:6 says of the Jews, ^^for I have spread you abroad 
as the four winds of the heavens, saith Jehovah." In 
Mt. 24 :31 Jesus said that the angels would gather the 
elect from the four winds. In Rev. 7:11, all the 
angels are said to be about the throne. Since it is 
stated so explicitly in the gospels that it is when 
Jesus comes in his glory, with all the angels, that his 
elect are gathered, and, as we saw in Lesson 34, it is 
thus that he comes just before the announcement is 
made that the great day has come, we can hardly do 
otherwise than to connect this sealing of the elect 
144,000 of Israel in Rev. 7 :3, 4, with the gathering of 
the elect of Mt. 24 :31, as the first event of the great 
day. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-FIVE 263 

3. In Dan. 7 :2-4 it was the breaking forth of the 
four winds upon the great sea that preceded the com- 
ing of the four great beasts out of the sea. It was 
the political surging of nation against nation before 
the world kingdoms rose out of the great sea of 
humanity. Rev. 7:1 comes after the most terrific 
surging of the nations of earth ever known. But now 
these four winds are quieted and held back from 
further destruction, while this gathering and sealing 
of the elect of Israel proceeds. It has required 1,900 
years, so far, to secure the heart sealing of the saints 
in Christ for that great day. It may require some 
time to accomplish the forehead sealing, the intel- 
lectual acceptance and recognition of Jesus as the 
rightful heir to David's throne, by those Israelites 
whom God has chosen to perpetuate the race. Dan. 
12:1 says: ^^And at that time tliy people shall he de- 
livered, every one that shall he found ivritten in the 
hook,'' These are doubtless the ones who are sealed 
with God's mark of ownership. But, with no political 
opposition or commotion of the four v/inds, the sealing 
of so small a number as 144,000 will probably occupy 
a comparatively short time. 

4. But this period of peace and quiet among the 
nations is to continue, evidently, until the great multi- 
tude which no man could number — all ^^the servants 
of our God" out of every nation and tribe and people 
and tongue are sealed, for in V. 15 we find them serv- 
ing also. These, coming next in order here, seem to 
be identical with the ''sheep'' which are separated 
from the ''goats" after the angels have gathered 
them. There are at least two things which seem to 



264 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

require some years for their accomplishment before 
the forces of destruction are again turned loose, as 
they are in the next chapter. One is the rebuilding of 
the temple in Jerusalem. The other the rebuilding of 
^'that great city, Babylon." But all must be ac- 
complished within this generation. 

5. It is plainly evident all through the Bible that 
the purpose of God, in all his dealings with men, is to 
win back his revolted subjects to a willing allegiance to 
Himself and to his Son. The Son of God made this 
world. It is his, although in a state of revolt. He is 
winning allegiance by offers of amnesty to all who 
will submit to his rule. By the election of grace, he 
is separating out a chosen company to sit down in the 
Kingdom with him, and participate with him in the 
government of the world. These are regenerated and 
become partakers of the Divine nature, and in the 
first resurrection, are transformed into the likeness 
of his glorious body. They become the bride of Christ 
and reign with him. 

6. But there are also subjects over which to reign. 
These are the approved sons of Adam. In the scen^ 
depicted in Mt. 25 :31-46, when the nations are 
brought before the throne, the separations that take 
place are not made on the basis of a personal accept- 
ance of Christ by faith, but on the basis of their treat- 
ment of those who are Christ's — His brethren, not 
their brethren. "When speaking to his own disciples 
of God, he spoke of Him as ^'your Father." But here 
he does not say ''your Father,'' but ''my Father" — 
even when addressing the ' ' righteous. ' ' They are not 
a holy people, but righteous. Holy people are 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-FIVE 265 

righteous, but not all righteous people are holy. Lot 
is called a righteous man in the Bible, but he is not 
classed as a ''holy man of God." Holiness has to do 
with our relationship toward God; righteousness, 
largely, at least, with our conduct toward men. 

7. Again, both John and Jesus began their ministry 
calling men to enter the Kingdom of lieaven. All 
through his ministry he taught of the Kingdom of 
heaven and explained it by parables, and otherwise. 
Here, to these ''sheep," he says nothing about the 
Kingdom of heaven, but "the kingdom prepared for 
you from the foundation of the ivorld'^ — a worldly 
kingdom — ^not the heavenly Kingdom introduced by 
John. 

8. Notice also that while the members of the 
heavenly Kingdom are to "sit down" in that Kingdom 
as associate rulers, these "sheep," after their separa- 
tion, as seen in Rev. 7:9, are standing before the 
throne — the attitude of servants, and who in V. 15 are 
said to serve — not rule. Again, in V. 17 it is said that 
the Lamb shall be their Sliepherd— which seems to 
identify them with the sheep. He that sits upon the 
throne spreads his tabernacle over them (E. V.), in- 
dicating a gracious act toward those who are not 
residing in his courts, and as a sign and divine as- 
surance of protection from the woes and bowls of 
wrath which are to be poured out upon the wicked 
"goats." These have come through the great tribula- 
tion of Mt. 24 :21, 29, escaping the fate of those under 
the altar, but having suffered the privations and 
terrors of the great war, in their loyalty to the cause 
of righteousness. But they are not to suffer the in- 



266 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

dignation of a righteous God when it is poured out 
upon his enemies — no more hunger and thirst or 
terrific heat — which is depicted in Rev. 16 :8. 

9. There is a very striking resemblance between the 
judgments of God upon Egypt, when Pharaoh refused 
to let Israel go, and the judgments of the great day, 
when Satan struggles to keep the world under his 
control. "When Moses demanded the release of Israel 
from bondage, Egypt subjected Israel to a terrible 
tribulation. The impossible was demanded, and they 
were punished for not doing what they could not do. 
They also suffered with the Egyptians in the first 
plagues. Then God spread his pavilion over Israel, 
and the remaining plagues could not touch them. 
Swarms of flies filled the houses of the Egyptians, 
but they did not molest Israel. The murrain killed 
the cattle of Egypt, but not one belonging to Israel 
died. Hail and lightning wrought terrible havoc, but 
not in Goshen. Three days of thick darkness covered 
the land ; but Israel had light. 

Now notice; Israel was not a sinless people; they 
had to be told who Jehovah was, and even at Mt. Sinai 
they worshipped a golden calf. But they were God's 
elect, and were saved from these plagues because of 
His purposes in them. So in this approaching judg- 
ment, the Lord's sheep are in some way to be shielded 
from some of the judgment plagues, at least, and the 
destruction which awaits the finally rebellious wicked, 
and they are to become the progenitors of the millennial 
peoples, who will beat the swords of this age into the 
plow-shares of the age to come. 

10. Further evidence that these sheep are not saints 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-FIVE 267 

is found in the fact that the Lamb ' ' shall guide them 
unto the fountains of waters of life.'' This is what he 
did for the woman of Samaria. It was the water of 
life that he offered to the Jews in Jn. 7 :37-39. He 
told the woman that whosoever drank of that water 
should never thirst again, but it should become "a. 
well of water springing up unto eternal life. ' ' These 
sheep, therefore, have not yet tasted that living watei*. 
Again we find' that at the close of the 1,000 years, 
when Satan is loosed again, these same people, or their 
descendants, fall an easy prey, multitudes of them, to 
his deceptions, and revolt against the rule of Christ 
and his saints; which is proof of their unregenerate 
nature, and that many had not drunk of that water 
of life. 

11. John, representing the saints of Christ in Rev. 
1:5, says, ^^Unto him that loved us, and washed us 
from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us 
kings," — or, R. V., ''made us (to be) a kingdom," 
etc. This is the ''washing of regeneration." He 
washes its. "We become partakers of Ms life. Notice 
the difference here. '^They washed their roTjes, and 
made them white in the blood of the Lamb." External 
righteousness wrought by themselves — the influence 
of the life (blood) of Christ upon their outward con- 
duct, showing a desire for clean lives. There are many 
millions of such today. 

12. The words "eternal" and "everlasting" in Mt. 
25:41, 46, are very misleading. The Greek word 
aionios means simply age-lasting^ and should be so 
translated here, as also in other passages. The 
righteous are to enjoy age-lasting life — as the ante- 



268 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

diluvians did. From 0. T. prophecies it is clear that 
the people of the millennial age will be subject to 
death. Isa. 65:20 says: *' There shall be no more an 
infant of days, nor an old man that hath not fulfilled 
his days; for the child shall die at a hundred years 
old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall 
be accursed." Both the life, and the punishment 
specified in Mt. 25 :41, 46 are to be age-lasting only. 
After the 1,000 years another resurrection and judg- 
ment comes. Great confusion has resulted from the 
translation of ^^aion" — age, into ^'everlasting,'' or 
^'eternal," in so many places, and frequently into 
''world.'' In recent years many writers are substi- 
tuting ''age" "age-lasting," or, as G. Campbell 
Morgan does, ' ' age-abiding, ' ' in such passages. 

13. The picture of the separation of sheep and goats 
in Mt. 25 indicates an actual segregation of the baser 
elements of society, the "abominable, and murderers, 
and fornicators," etc., into a territory by themselves. 
Other passages indicate the territory of the world em- 
pires of Daniel, the kingdom of the Beast of Revela- 
tion, as the herding ground of the goats; and that 
they will be forcibly imprisoned and deported to that 
territory. (See Mic. 12, 13, and Zech. 5:5-11, Note 
10, Lesson 46.) 

Also, "He will thoroughly purge his threshing 
floor," taking all righteous people out of that land 
before his judgments fall upon the wicked. 

14. We do not see any angels holding the four 
winds — destructive forces — but we see a movement 
working to that end. More than forty nations are 
bound together to abolish war. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-FIVE 269 

No, this is not the ten horned ^^ Beast'' of prophecy. 
The time has not come for that combine, and its pur- 
pose will not be a peaceful one. Only ten powers 
will ever be included in it. Disarmament must come 
before swords are beaten into plow-shares. 



LESSON THIRTY-SIX 

The Seyexth Seal Opexed 

Silence in heaven. Seven angels with seven 
trumpets. Another angel with incense 
and prayers. Fire cast upon the earth, 
followed by thunders, voices, and 
lightnings, and an earthquake. The 
sounding of four of the trumpets, and 
what followed. 

I came to cast fire upon the earth; and how would 
I that it were already kindled. (Jesus.) 

Who can stand before his indignation? ... his 
wrath is poured out like fire. (Nahum.) 

Home readings: Psalms 78, 79; Zeph. 1:14- 
2 :3 ; Rom. 1 :18-2 :16. 

Class reading: Rev. 8:1-13. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What followed the opening of the 
seventh seal ? Rev. 8 :1. 

270 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-SIX 271 

2. What did John see, and what were given 
them? V. 2. 

3. AVhat did another angel have, and what 
was given him ? Vs. 3a, b. 

4. What should he do, and with what re- 
sult? Vs. 3c, 4. 

5. What did he then do, and what fol- 
lowed? V. 5. 

6. What did the seven angels then do ? V. 
6. 

7. What followed the sounding of the first 
trumpet ? Y . 7a. 

8. What was the result on the earth? V. 
7b. 

9. What occurred w^hen the second angel 
sounded ? Y . 8a. 

10. What was the result in the sea ? Y. 8b, 
9. 

11. When the third angel sounded what fell, 
and where ? Y. 10. 



272 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. What was the effect on men? V. 11. 

13. What followed the fourth trumpet ? V. 
12. 

14. How did God say he would bring Israel 
out of Egypt? Ex. 7:4. 

15. What did he do to the river, the fish, and 
the people in Egypt? Vs. 20, 21, 24. 
(Gomp. Rev. 8:8, 9.) 

16. What judgment on Egypt is recorded 
in Ex. 9:22-26? (Comp. Rev. 8:7.) 

17. Who were preserved through the flood? 
2 Pet. 2 :5. 

18. Whom did God deliver when he de- 
stroyed Sodom? Vs. 6, 7. 

19. What does V. 9 say the Lord knows how 

to do ? Note 4. 

20. How are the Sealed of Chapter 7 to be 
preserved from harm in Rev. 9 :4 ? 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-SIX 273 

NOTES 

1. It is interesting to observe the orderly program 
of this Book. First its magnificent introduction ; next 
its messages of warning and counsel to prepare the 
Church for the coming of the great day. Then the 
initiatory events, in heaven and on earth, involving 
the great tribulation of the righteous by the wicked, 
and signs in the earth and in heaven. Then the first 
act of the great day in the judgment of the nations 
and the separation of the wicked from the righteous, 
and provision for the protection of the latter and 
punishment of the former. 

But God's direct punishments do not begin to fall 
upon them until the seventh seal is opened. From 
the seventh seal come the seven trumpets. -When 
these are sounded, judgments from God are poured, 
with increasing violence, upon the earth ; the last three 
of these judgments are called woes. From the seventh 
trumpet come the seven bowls of the wrath of God. 
The effects of their pouring out are called the seven 
last plagues. The last half of the book is filled with 
the details of events which are connected with these 
plagues, consummating in the transfer of the dominion 
of the world from Satan to Christ, His millennial 
reign, and the final delivery of the kingdom to God, 
the Father, a perfected realm. 

2. Before proceeding to study these judgments, we 
should understand something of their nature and pur- 
pose, (a) A ''judgment" may be the expression of 
opinion or decision, with advice or warning. Such 
are the judgments of the seven churches. They do 



274 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

not belong in the day of wrath ; they are fore-warnings 
of it. (b) The passing of sentence — as is done after 
the separation of goats from the sheep, (c) The giv- 
ing of awards, as premiums by the judges. The prizes 
at Greek races were awarded from a ^^Bema'^ — a 
tribunal. It was to the bema of Caesar that Paul ap- 
pealed. So, in Rom. 14:10 Paul says: ^^for we shall 
all stand before the bema of Christ.'' And in 2 Cor. 
5 :10, ' ^ For we must all be made manifest before the 
hema of Christ/^ "While sentence of condemnation 
might issue from the bema, such sentence or con- 
demnation is called a ^^krisis" in the Greek. This 
is the word used wherever the judgment of the wicked 
is mentioned. The Christian is not involved in this, 
for Christ said ( Jn. 5 :24) , that such should ^^not come 
into krisis." (d) The execution of sentence — the ad- 
ministration of punishment — is also called a judgment, 
and it is to be so understood in connection with the 
disasters which follow the sounding of the trumpets. 

3. The purpose of these judgments is not to satisfy 
a cruel rage, or a mere angry vengeance of God on 
account of the sinner's treatment of Him, but to in- 
duce the sinner to repent. This is evident from the 
increasing severity of the punishments. If repentance 
could be secured by the lighter punishments, the more 
severe ones would not be necessary. But the best 
evidence that the securing of penitence is the real aim, 
is in the repeated, sorrowful assertion that ^^the rest 
of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, 
repented not." God is ^^not wishing that any should 
perish, but that all should come to repentence." This 
2 Pet. 3 ;9 says of the judgment day. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-SIX 275 

4. Another expression which occurs eight times in 
this book should be noticed. It is ^'they that dwell 
upon the earth/' The Greek for ''dwelF' in all these 
places is ''katoikeo/' to settle down. The expression 
in every case refers to those upon whom these judg- 
ments fall. They seem thus to be identical with the 
goats — the settlings or dregs of humanity , after their 
separation from the sheep. Thus in Rev. 8:13 the 
great voice of the eagle says ^^Woe, woe, woe, for them 
that dwell on the earth,'' That the sheep are not to 
suffer these woes is made more certain by the state- 
ment of 9 :4, where only such men as have not the seal 
of God on their foreheads suffer. In Rev. 3:10 the 
church of Philadelphia is told, '^I also will keep thee 
from the hour of trial, that which is to come upon the 
whole world, to try tliem that dwell upon the earth," 
Here we see the class that must suffer these judgments, 
and those who are kept from them. 

5. The ^'silence in heaven" is fitting in connection 
with the burning of incense, pending the beginning of 
the dispensation of God's judgments. Smith's Bible 
Dictionary says: ^'When the priest entered the Holy 
place with the incense, all the people were removed 
from the temple, and from between the porch and the 
altar (cf. Luk 1:10). Profound silence was observed 
among the congregation who were praying without 
(cf. Rev. 8:1) ; and at a signal from the prefect, the 
priest cast the incense on the fire, and, bowing rever- 
ently towards the Holy of Holies, retired slowly back- 
wards. . . . Incense . . . would rather seem to be 
symbolical, not of prayer itself, but of that which 
makes prayer acceptable, — the intercession of Christ. 



276 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

In Rev. 8:3, 4, the incense is spoken of as something 
distinct from, though offered with, the prayers of all 
the saints/' 

6. Dr. Bullinger says: ^'The prayers offered on 
earth are, during this period of silence, formally pre- 
sented before God, and the answer is formally an- 
nounced in the preparation of the seven angels to 
sound their trumpets and declare war against Satan 
and all his hosts. ' ' 

Dr. Seiss says: ^^This angel has a censer of gold, 
an implement belonging to the Holy of Holies, and 
used only by the high priest; which would seem to 
indicate our great High Priest that has passed into 
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. This angel casts 
fire into the earth ; and Jesus says of himself : ^ I came 
to cast fire into the earth ; and what could I wish if 
it were already kindled ? . . . And when the sublime 
Priest-angel of heaven turns his fire-filled censer on 
the earth, we have come to the day that shall burn as 
an oven, in w^hich all the proud and ungodly shall be 
as stubble to the devouring flames. . . . This fire is 
taken from the altar. . . . The same fire that wafts 
the devotions of the obedient into the presence of God, 
kindles the hell of the unbelieving and the neglectful. ^^ 
The thunders, voices, lightnings and earthquake are 
premonitions of the terrors of the judgment day. 

7. The statement that the seven angels prepared 
themselves to sound, suggests the tremendous impor- 
tance of their part in what is to follow, and the great 
thoroughness with which everything was made ready 
for the events of the great day. It seems probable 
that one of these seven angels that stand before God 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-SIX 277 

is Gabriel, who said to Mary (Lu. 1:19, 26), ''I am 
Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God/^ Michael 
the Archangel is probably another, if not the first in 
rank, as Gabriel said to Daniel that Michael was ' ' one 
of the chief princes." These events are in the hands 
of the highest and most competent of heavenly beings. 

8. Micah 7:15 says, ^^As in the days of thy coming 
forth out of the land of Egypt, ivill I show unto tJiem 
marvellous things/^ We have no reason to doubt that 
these things will be just as real and literal, as wer6 
the plagues of Egypt. Jer. 23:19, 20 says: '^Behold 
the tempest of Jehovah, wrath is gone forth, yea a 
whirling tempest : it shall burst upon the head of the 
wicked. The anger of Jehovah shall not return, until 
he have executed, and till he have performed the in- 
tents of his heart: in tTie latter days ye sJiall under- 
stand it perfectly. ^^ 

9. The word for ^^ temptation," in 2 Pet. 2:9, in the 
Greek is equally well rendered ''trial" (and is so 
rendered in Eev. 3:10), which would better convey 
the meaning which the context evidently demands — 
as Noah and Lot were delivered, or preserved from the 
trials to which the wicked world and the wicked 
Sodomites were subjected. The saints are no doubt 
included among the righteous in their preservation 
from these judgments. 



LESSON THIRTY-SEVEN 

The Fiest and Secoxd Woes 

The sounding of the fifth angel. The fallen 
angel opening the pit of the abyss ; the 
smoke as of a great furnace, darkening 
the sun; the locusts, their power and 
limited commission. The second woe. 
The four prepared angels, and their 
commission. The number of their 
armies, and their methods of destruc- 
tion. No repentance. 

And it was said unto them that they should Twt hurt 
the grass . . . but only such men as have not the seal 
of God on their foreheads. 

And they repented not. 

Home readings: Ex. 10:1-20; Joel 2:1-20. 
Class reading: Rev. 9:1-21. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What followed the fifth trumpet "? Rev. 
9:1. 

278 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-SEVEN 279 

2. What occurred when the pit was 
opened? Vs. 2, 3a. 

3. AVhat power was given them, and with 
what restrictions? Ys. 3b-5a. 

4. What shall men seek and not find? V. 
6. 

5. Describe the locusts. Ys. 7-9. 

6. How are they to hurt men, and how 
long? Y. 10. ^ 

7. How do they otherwise differ from 
ordinary locusts ? Y. 11 ; Prov. 30 :27. 

8. What is said of the locusts of Ex. 10 :14? 

9. What is the woeful presage of Rev. 9: 
12? 

10. From what did a voice come when the 
sixth angel sounded, and what was said ? 
Ys. 13, 14. 

11. For what was the four angels prepared ? 
Y. 15. 



280 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. What was the number of the horsemen 
of their armies ? Y . 16. 

13. What is said of these vision horses and 
riders in V. 17a? 

14. What were the heads of the horses like, 
and what issued from their mouths? 
Vs. 17b, c. 

15. What did these three plagues do? V. 

18. 

16. With what do these horses hurt ? V. 19. 

17. What did the rest of mankind not do? 
y. 20a. 

18. What age-long sin of sins is mentioned ? 
V. 20b. 

19. What other sins are not repented of? 
V. 21. 

20. What is the final destiny of such people ? 
Rev. 21 :8. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-SEVEN 281 

NOTES 

1. Kev. 8:13 calls attention to the difference in 
character and severity of the last three trumpets from 
the first four. The first four directly affect the phys- 
ical earth and indirectly affect men. The last three 
bring woes directly upon ''them that dwell upon the 
earth. ^ ' Whether this announcement is made by a real 
eagle or not may not be of first importance ; but it is 
important that we do not try to improve on God's 
Word by saying that it was not an eagle. 

2. ^'The first trumpet brings hail and fire mingled 
with blood, and results in terrible devastation in field 
and forest. . . . The second judgment affects the sea, 
turning part of it into blood, and destroying life in a 
third part of it." (Pettingill.) That which re- 
sembles a great mountain burning with fire, perhaps 
an immense meteor, is cast into the sea, which, by the 
tremendous waves produced, would naturally be very 
destructive to ships. The decomposition of this great 
mass in the sea might chemically change the water to 
the consistency and color of blood and make it poison- 
ous. Whether the great star of the third trumpet, 
burning as a torch, is also a meteor, we can only 
surmise. Possibly it is a great meteor bursting over 
the Alps and scattering its bitter, poisonous material 
and so infecting the waters of the many rivers that 
rise among them. But, w^hatever this star may be, the 
waters of a third part of the rivers will cause the death 
of many men. A darkening of the sun, moon and stars 
follows the fourth trumpet. But, beginning with the 
fifth trumpet, woes come directly upon men. 



282 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. The words most frequently translated '^ earth" in 
the Bible are just as frequently rendered ''land" or 
''country." We use the word "earth" sometimes to 
denote the planet, and sometimes the soil in a flower 
pot. It is not always easy or possible to tell, in these 
lesson passages, whether the whole earth, the whole 
known world before the w^estern continent was dis- 
covered, or the land or country which might be under 
discussion at the time, is meant. Many writers con- 
sider the scenes of the Book of Revelation as apply- 
ing, at least in the main, to the countries constituting 
the so-called "world-kingdoms" — the "Beast" king- 
doms. But if the recent war zone is indicated in Rev. 
6 :8, then the whole territory of the beast-kingdoms 
would constitute only one-fourth part of the then 
known world. But if a smaller territory were under 
consideration, it might be described in the same terms. 
It is not certain, therefore, whether the scenes of this 
lesson are to be confined to the war zone, including 
the Mediterranean as the sea into which the burning 
meteor falls, or whether the whole eastern continent, 
or the whole earth is involved. It seems probable that 
some portion of the w^orld, possibly the western conti- 
nent, or even all the world outside of the beast-em- 
pires, will be immune from these disasters, and re- 
served for the safe-keeping of the "sheep." But the 
wicked are "they that dwell on tlie land'' of the beast. 

4. In the parables of the kingdom the wicked are to 
be severed from among the righteous, and cast into the 
furnace of fire. It is evident from other prophecies 
that there is to be a gathering of nations to fight 
against Israel before the end comes. There are evi- 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-SEVEN 283 

deuces of a tendency in the world toward purging out 
the criminal and lawless elements from among law- 
abiding peoples. Babylon the great seems to be 
destined to become the center of attraction for the 
worst elements of human society. The wealthy men:, 
who have made their millions out of the vices of all 
lands, could build a most magnificent city on the 
Euphrates, when prohibition drives them, or their 
business, out of other countries, and there establish 
the attractions which would draw men of their own 
type into those regions. But by whatever means the 
wricked are to be severed from among the just, they 
are probably to be gathered into that region, and as 
the woes are to be visited upon the incorrigibly wicked, 
it may be unnecessary that the whole earth should be 
thus visited. 

5. The star seen when the fifth angel sounded was, 
according to the R. V., a fallen star. It is evidently 
not a meteor, but more likely a fallen angel. He is 
given a key with which he opens the pit of the abyss, 
and releases the locusts. ^^ These were no common 
locusts. Those that came in the plagues of Egypt 
were no common locusts either. . . . They seem from 
their description to be a kind of Infernal Clieriibim, 
The horse, the man, the lion, and the scorpion are 
combined in them. They are called locusts, though 
they are supernatural. . . . Common locusts eat up 
and destroy only vegetation: beyond this they are 
not injurious. But these, from the bottomless pit, are 
designed for a very different purpose. Human beings 
are the objects of their assaults. Though released 
from the pit, they cannot go beyond the ^ power' given 



284 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

to them.'' (BuUinger.) Possibly these creatures are 
only intended to ''typify some spiritual truth"; but 
what truth? Why should not these locusts be just 
as real creatures as those of Ex. 10 :14? 

6. The power of these locusts is in their tails. The 
pain inflicted by their sting is so terrific that ''in those 
days men shall seek deatli . . . they shall desire to 
die." But they will be prevented from dying, and 
the locusts are forbidden to kill. The territory oc- 
cupied by those who have the seal of God on their 
foreheads is probably exempt from their invasion. At 
least they are not permitted to hurt them. "For in 
the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his 
pavilion: in the covert of his tabernacle tvill he hide 
me.'' (Psa. 27:5.) But when the sixth trumpet 
sounds and the second woe comes, armies of infernal 
horsemen are turned loose "that they should kill the 
third part of men. ' ' If the locusts were forbidden to 
hurt the sealed ones, certainly these more terrible 
creatures will not be permitted to do so. 

7. In both of these woes are seen the evidences of 
organization among the denizens of the lower regions. 
The locusts "have over them a king^'' whose name, 
meaning Destroyer, is given in both Hebrew and 
Greek; and in the second woe four evil angels seem 
to head the immense armies, numbering 200,000,000, 
of death-dealing cavalry. And from Joel 2 :7-9 it 
would appear that they are thoroughly drilled. "And 
they shall march every one on his ways, and they 
shall not break their ranks.'' The most cruel, de- 
moniacal armies of the recent war were the most thor- 
oughly trained and equipped — And the fire and smoke 
and brimstone issuing from the mouths of the 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-SEVEN 285 

monsters of Rev. 9 :17, 18 might be as good a descrip- 
tion as could be given to people who knew nothing of 
modern warfare, of the awful, death-dealing missiles, 
the liquid fire, and choking gas used by the enemies of 
all righteousness in the great world struggle. And 
yet, it is only wicked men or devils who could devise 
and use such weapons of death against the righteous ; 
while in this chapter it is the luicked who are suffer- 
ing — not the righteous. It seems therefore necessary 
to conclude that these are supernatural creatures or 
machines controlled by the intelligence of ' ' them that 
sat on them.'' 

^'The tormenting locusts continued for five months; 
this, it would seem, is to continue for more than 
thirteen, ^The hour, and day, and month, and year,' 
noted by the seer, would seem most naturally intended 
to measure the exact duration of the plague. " (Seiss.) 

8. The plagues of Egypt were sent in increasing 
severity, culminating in the death of the first-born. 
But instead of humbling Pharaoh, his heart was 
hardened until the final blow fell, when he relented 
and allowed Israel to go, but did not repent; for he 
again sought to recover them, and he and his army 
drowned in the Eed Sea. So after these plagues had 
killed one-third of ^Hhem that dwelt on the earth" the 
remaining two-thirds repented not. Certainly those 
who were ^^ sealed" were not among them. 

9. The one great sin of idolatry is looming up as the 
main distinguishing characteristic of the wicked, with 
the other sins, afterward mentioned, which are always 
found where idolatry exists. The final test is of al- 
legiance to God, or idols ; Satan or Christ. The final 
struggle for supremacy is yet to come. 



LESSON THIRTY-EIGHT 

The Challexge 

The descent of the Claimant to earth's 
domain, with open title in hand, con- 
testing his right to sea and land. The 
great voice as of a Lion^ reinforced by 
the Seven Tliunders. The Oath. The 
Depositary. The Throne room. The 
Two Witnesses. The earthquake. 

And Jehovah will roar from Zion, and litter his 
voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth 
shall shake; hut Jehovah will he a refuge unto his 
people. (Joel.) 

Home reading: Eze. 43:1-17. 
Class reading: Rev. 10:1-11:14. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. Describe the Angel of Rev. 10:1. 
(Comp. Rev. 1:14, 15.) 

2. What did he have, and what did he do ? 
V. 2. 

286 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-EIGHT 287 

3. How did lie ciy, and with what ac- 
companying voices ? V. 3. 

4. Do not Jer. 25:30, 31; Joel 3:14-17; 
Hos. 11:10, 11 refer to this event? 

5. What was John about to do which he 
did not do, and why? Y. 4. 

6. What is the meaning of the great oath of 
Vs. 5-7. R. V. (Comp. Dan. 12 :7.) 

7. What oath is recorded in Isa. 45 :23 ? 

8. What voice then spoke, to whom, and 
with what command ? Rev. 10 :8. 

9. What did John do, and with what re- 
sults? Vs. 9, 10. 

10. What did ^^they'^ say to him? Y. 11. 

11. What was giren him, and what did 
^^one^' command him to do? Rev. 11:1,. 



2a, 



12. Why should he not measure the court? 
Y. 2b. 



288 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

13. For how long a time are liis two wit- 
nesses to testify, and how are they to be 
clad? V. 3. 

14. Before whom are they standing ? V. 4. 

15. What powers are given them ? Vs. 5, 6. 

16. When they have finished their testi- 
mony, by whom are they to be killed, and 
who is he? Vs. 7; 13:1. 

17. In the street of what city will their 
bodies lie, and how long ? Vs. 8, 9. 

18. Who shall look on them, and what will 
they do? Vs. 9, 10. 

19. What then occurs, and with what re- 
sult? V. 11. 

20. What great voice did they hear, and 
what followed? V. 12. 

21. What in that hour? V. 13. 

22. What is past, and what comes quickly? 
V. 14. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-EIGHT 289 

NOTES 

1. It was ^* another angeF' who cast fire on the 
earth in Chapter 8. It is ''another strong angeP' who 
comes down out of heaven^ and sets his right foot on 
the sea, and his left foot on the earth. His face like 
the sun, and his fiery feet suggest former visions of 
Christ. He is arrayed with a cloud, as Jesus is to be 
when he comes. The rainbow on his head is the sign 
of God's covenant promises, now^ about to be fulfilled. 
He has the same little book in his hand which once 
was sealed with seven seals ; for, in the original, that 
is also a ''small book." But now the book, or roll, 
is unsealed and open. The earth is redeemed, and he 
holds its title. 

"To set one's foot in a place expresses a purpose 
to take possession of that place. Jehovah said to 
Israel; 'Every place w^hereon the soles of your feet 
shall tread shall be yours.' (Deut. 11:24.) And 
when this mighty angel deliberately sets his right foot 
on the sea, and the left foot on the land, he thereby 
claims possession of it, and asserts his purpose to take 
it as his own, and to establish his occupancy and rule 
over it." (Seiss.) God had covenanted; "I will give 
thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the utter- 
most parts of the earth for thy possession. . . . Thou 
shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. . . . 
For his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all 
they that take refuge in him." (Psa. 2:8-12.) 

2. Voices, great, loud, strong voices, are mentioned 
many times in Eev. But here is more. It is a great 
voice, as a lion roaretli. It is also reinforced by the 



290 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

voices of tlie seven thunders. In Rev. 4 :5 the thunders 
are said to proceed from the throne. The roar of a 
lion is a challenge, and a warning. It gives notice of 
proprietary rights which must be recognized. This 
challenge is backed by the full power of the throne 
of God. Seven is the number of completeness, and 
occurs 40 times in this book. The enemy in posses- 
sion must therefore vacate, even if it requires all the 
power of the throne of God to evict him. 

3. "We are not informed what the seven thunders 
uttered. John was so eager to write what he heard that 
the things uttered must have been glad tidings; but 
the world is not yet ready for them. We must wait 
until we hear them in reality, and not in vision, for 
John was told to seal them up and write them not. 
This is the only time John was told to seal anything 
up and not write. 

4. In various places in the 0. T. God is said to have 
sw^orn to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David. Acts 2 :30 
says of David ^^that God had sivorn ivith an oatli to 
him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon 
his throne." This he is now preparing to do. And 
now the Son of God lifts his right hand to heaven, 
*'and sware by him that liveth forever and ever, w^ho 
created/^ and therefore has^the right of possession of, 
heaven, and earth, and sea, and all that are therein. 
This is the only oath of his on record, and therefore 
marks this event as of the very highest importance. 
What he declares under such an all-binding oath must 
certainly come to pass. 

5. The oath, so solemnly sworn, is, ''There shall he 
delay no longer: hut in the days of the voice of the 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-EIGHT 291 

seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is 
fi7iished the mystery of God, according to the good tid- 
ings which he declared to his servants the prophets/* 
As we saw in a former lesson, the mystery of God is 
the Chnrch of Christ — the formative stage of the King- 
dom. (Mt. 13:11; Mk. 4:11; Lu. 8:10; Rom. 16:25; 
Eph. 1:9; Col. 1:26; and others.) The Church age 
is to end. It is finished just before the sounding of 
the seventh, and last, trumpet. This mystery occupies 
the unreckoned time during the absence of the King 
from Palestine until his return to take possession — 
the time intervening between the 69th and 70th week 
of Dan. 9. The Kingdom was rejected and held in 
abeyance until the final coming of the King, which 
also marks the beginning of the 70th week of seven 
years. 

6. From Chap. 10 :8 to 11 :2, John is himself given a 
part to act — the part of the redeemed; the part of 
those who are to be joint heirs with Christ in the in- 
corruptible inheritance. This part is therefore of the 
greatest possible interest to all of the redeemed among 
men. The open title deed to sea and land, upon which 
no man was worthy even to look until the Lamb pre- 
vailed — by the gift of his own life blood — to open, he 
now gives to his beloved John. He had not made this 
costly purchase for his own selfish possession, but for 
a gift to his beloved. John was told to ^^take it and 
eat it up/' He was to make it his very own; so that 
it could never be transferred to another, or alienated 
from him. It must remain forever his. The saints 
of Christ are to possess the earth with Him. 

7. John found this roll most delicious to the taste, 



292 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

but it involved a responsibility that was bitter. He 
must prophesy again — not the proclamation of the 
glorious gospel of his former prophesying, but now a 
prophecy of the condemnation and doom ^^over many 
peoples and nations and tongues and kings.'' Ezekiel 
(2:8-3:3) had a very similar vision experience of 
eating a roll, which was sweet as honey, but he ' ' went 
in bitterness in the heat of" his spirit to prophesy a 
warning of destruction of Israel. "Whether John is 
one of the two witnesses of chap. 11 :3, who are to 
prophesy, clothed in sackcloth (the sign of mourning), 
is uncertain, but seems probable. Their mission seems 
to be of the same nature, and like that of Jonah to 
Nineveh. Some believe that Enoch and Elijah are 
to be the two witnesses, as they did not die, and these 
two are yet to be killed. We do not know who they 
are. 

8. Since John, as our representative, has now come 
into possession with Christ, and with him the title has 
found final lodgment, he is given a reed like a rod — 
a sign of authority, as well as a unit of measure and 
told to ^^Eise, and measure fhe temple of God, and 
the altar, and them that worship therein.'^ Measuring 
is a sign of taking possession; and, as Dr. BuUinger 
points out, it was not the ^^hieron'' or whole temple, 
but the ^^naos" or Holy of Holies — Jehovah's throne- 
room — and the altar ^ and Israel^ that are to be first 
possessed. According to Hosea, 11 :10, 11, Israel shall 
come trembling when Jehovah roars like a lion. The 
outer court was not to be measured, ' ^ for it hath been 
given to the nations: and the holy city shall they tread 
under foot forty and two months.'^ Even the holy city 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-EIGHT 293 

is not to be possessed for three and one-half years 
after the temple is possessed. 

9. When title to property is transferred, there are 
usually two witnesses to the transaction. Jesus says, 
^^My two ivitnesses . . . shall prophesy" 1,260 days, 
which equals 42 months of 30 days each, or 31^ years. 
The principal evidence that John is one of these 
witnesses is his commission to prophesy in 10 :11, with 
no record of his prophesying, unless it be here. One 
reason why Elijah might be a suitable witness is that 
before his translation, he was given power, in the days 
of Ahab, to withhold a rain, which he did for 3I/2 
years, and he also had power to twice call down fire 
upon his enemies — two of the powers given to these 
witnesses. They are finally killed by the beast of Rev. 
13 :1, which seems to come up out of the abyss of the 
sea in answer to the challenge of the roaring lion, but 
whose description is deferred to that chapter. 

10. In Rev. 11 :4 Jesus, the Strong Angel, is called 
''the Lord of ilie Eartli.'' The title rightfully be- 
longs to Him.. But he is here only beginning to estab- 
lish his claim and take possession of the throne. It is 
seven years yet before his enemies are destroyed, 
Satan, the Usurper, imprisoned, and Jesus declared 
''King of kings and Lord of lords.' ^ 

11. It is uncertain whether this '^Strong AngeP' 
will be visibly manifest to the people of earth, or that 
this is only a representation in pictorial language of 
the fact and methods of His beginning to take posses- 
sion as Lord of the earth. Measuring the temple and 
altar and the worshippers may indicate the dedication 
of the new temple which is yet to be built, and the 



294 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Jews there assembled. It is stated on good authority 
that preparations for building the temple, when the 
opportune time arrives, were well under w^ay before 
the great war began, in 1914. (It is said that Zionists 
had arranged Avith a company in Italy for the im- 
mediate shipment of the necessary quantity of the 
finest marble, whenever notified. A well known 
minister in California, who has visited an onyx mine 
in Arizona, also states that he was informed that some 
of the finest of the output of that mine is being held 
for the same purpose.) 

12, John is told that he must prophesy again over 
many peoples, etc. — not over all peoples. After the 
two witnesses are killed, it is said that ''they that 
dwell on the eartli^^ — or land — rejoice; because these 
two prophets tormented ^HJiem that dwell on the 
eartJi/^ It is very evident here that the wicked are 
segregated^ probably as residents of the countries in- 
cluded in the empire of the beast, and that the right- 
eous nations are not included in the visitations of the 
plagues mentioned; for these plagues were to be 
visited upon those who desired to liiirt those prophets ; 
and that these wicked men are subjects of the beast 
is evident from the fact that it is the heast that makes 
war against the prophets, overcomes them and kills 
them. The righteous are not there. 

13. In chapter 11:2 Jerusalem is called ^^the holy 
city.'' In Mt. 27:53 it is called ^'the holy city" 
shortly after the crucifixion occurred. The crucifixion 
is also referred to in Rev. 11 :8, where the city is 
''spiritually called Sodom and Egypt." (See Isa. 
1:10; Jer. 23:14.) Spiritually Jerusalem was like 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-EIGHT 295 

Sodom; but still it was the holy city. The word 
*^holy^' in the Bible usually means ^^set apart, 
separate'' — consecrated or dedicated to God for his 
own use. Jerusalem is set apart. Jesus warned his 
listeners at one time not to swear by Jerusalem, ^^for 
it is the city of the great King/' But it is not a sin- 
less city. 

14. The resurrection and ascension of the two 
witnesses, ^4n the cloud,'' caused great fear to the 
people who saw them go. It is not said that they 
repented. But it is possible that some did repent in 
Jerusalem after the earthquake which killed 7,000, 
for ^^the rest were affrighted, and gave glory to the 
God of heaven.' ' Everything possible seems to be 
done for the reclamation of these ''goats." ''The 
second Woe is past: behold, the third "Woe cometh 
quickly/' 



LESSON THIRTY-NINE 

Joy IX Heavex 

The seventh angel sounds. Great voices in 
heaven, and their sayings. The twenty- 
four Elders worship and give thanks to 
God, and announce the program to be 
carried out in the occupation of the 
kingdom of the world. 

The kingdom of the world is become tJie Kingdom 
of our Lord, and of His Chnst: and he shall reign to 
the ages of the ages! 

Home readings: Dan. 7:1-28; Psa. 24 

Class readings: Rev. 11 :15-19 ; Psa. 47 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What followed the sounding of the 
seventh trumpet? Rev. 11:15a, b. 

2. What glorious announcement is made? 
V. 15c, d. 

296 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-NINE 297 

3. What did the 24 elders then do? V. 16. 

4. What did they say? V. 17. 

5. How were the nations affected ? V. 18a. 

6. What then came? V. 18b. 

7. State the events in their order for which 
the time has come. V. 18c to end. 

8. What was opened, and what was seen? 
V. 19a, b. 

9. What followed? V. 19c. 

10. To what end did Christ die and live 
again ? Rom. 14 :9, 10. 

11. In what state did Jesus go, and to whom 
did he preach, according to 1 Pet. 3: 

18-20? 

12. For what end was the gospel preached^ 
even to the dead? 1 Pet. 4:5, 6. 

13. Who will receive rewards ? Mt. 10 :40- 
42 ; Mk. 9 :41 ; 1 Cor. 3 :8 ; 2 Cor. 5 :10. 



298 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

14. When and how are works to be tested 
and rewarded ? 1 Cor. 3 :13j 14. 

15. What will Jesus have with him when he 
comes? Rev. 22:12. 

16. For what, and upon whom will the wrath 
of God come? Col. 3:5, 6; Eom. 1:18. 

17. What do impenitent hearts treasure up, 
and for what time ? Rom. 2 :2-6. 

18. To what extent does wrath come upon 
those mentioned in 1 Thess. 2 :15, 16 ? 

19. Who will be delivered from the wrath to 
come? 1 Thess. 1:9, 10; 5:9. 

20. What did John see in Rev. 15 :1 ? 

NOTES 

1. When the seventh angel is alout to sound, the 
Mystery of God according to the gospel is finished. 
The great oath declared that there should be delay 
no longer. The rejection of the Kingdom by the Jews 
delayed its coming for more than 1,900 years. But 
immediately after the seventh trumpet sounds the 
announcement is made in heaven by great voices, say- 
ing, ^^The kingdom of the world is become the posses- 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-NINE 299 

sion of our Lord, and of His CJmst: and He shall 
reign to the ages of the ages!'^ There is no longer 
delay. Events crowd so rapidly upon each other that 
they overlap, or are simultaneous. John sees them 
in series following one scene to its end, and then going 
back and following another, as they are successively 
thrown upon the screen. 

2. The first Woe is the plague of locusts, which lasts 
five months. The second Woe is that of the infernal 
cavalry, lasting thirteen months. If the prophesying 
of the Two Witnesses begins immediately, 314 years 
more pass before the seventh, and last, trumpet 
sounds. This makes at least five years from the be- 
ginning of the first Woe to the end of the second 
Woe. It may be considerably longer than that, as the 
third Woe does not come until Rev. 12 :12, after the 
war in heaven, when Satan is cast down to the earth, 
having great wrath. This last, and worst. Woe con- 
tinues until the ^^war of the great day of God, the Al- 
mighty, '' when the final triumph comes, and Satan 
is imprisoned. 

3. Long years ago, the angel Gabriel announced to 
Mary, concerning her child; ^^He shall be great, and 
shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the 
Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father 
David; and he shall reign over the house of David 
forever.'' ^^How beautiful upon the mountains are 
the feet of him that bringeth good tidings . . . that 
saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth ! ' ' But the begin- 
ning of His reign is not in peace, but in lurath. ''Ask 
of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine in- 
heritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for 



300 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of 
iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's 
vessel/' This seems to be the time when the Stone 
smites the great image of Dan. 2 :44, 45. 

4. It is interesting to note the parts taken by the 
24 elders in the progressive stages of these momentous 
events. In Rev. 4:10 they fall before Him that sits 
upon the throne, and cast their crowns before Him. 
Their ''saying" is an ascription of praise for creation. 
In 5 :8 they fall before the Lamb, with incense and 
harps, and sing the new song of praise for redemption. 
They fall down and ivorship in 5 :14. In 11 :16, 17 
they fall upon their faces and worship God because 
he has taken his great power, and ''didst reign/^ 
In 19 :4 they fall down with the four living creatures, 
saying. Amen; Hallelujah^ in response to the great 
voice of the multitude in heaven. Although sitting 
on thrones, their attitude is always devotional, and 
their words always joyful praise for what God is 
doing for the world. It seems to be this company of 
Elders also which announces the program of the final 
stage of the judgment scenes which are limited to the 
last 31^ years, and in which the bowls of God's wrath 
are poured out upon the nations which are wroth at 
Him. 

5. The first item in the program is the judgynent 
of the dead, ' ' The time of the dead to be judged, and 
to give their reward to thy servants the prophets, and 
to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the 
small and the great,'' This seems to very definitely 
locate the time of the first resurrection, which is in 
other places indicated also as the time of rewarding 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-NINE 301 

the saints. This is in perfect harmony with other 
passages which indicate the time of the ''resurrec- 
tion of the just'' — ''they that are Christ's." Luke 
14:14 says: "For thou shalt be recompensed at the 
resurrection of tJie just/' ''In a moment, in the 
twinkling of an eye, at tlie last trump: for the trumpet 
sliall soundy and the dead shall he raised/' etc. (1 
Cor. 15:52.) "For the Lo7'd himself shall descend 
from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the 
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead 
in Christ shall rise first ; then we that are alive, that 
are left, shall together with them be caught up in the 
clouds, to meet the Lord, in the air.'' (1 Thess. 4:16, 
17.) The statements in Rev. 20 :4-6 have led many to 
conclude that the first resurrection is not to occur 
until after the events of the preceding chapters are 
past. But this is not a statement of the time of that 
resurrection, but the classes of people included in it, 
as seen on their thrones. There is no trumpet sounded 
at that time. 

6. There is a teaching that has been very generally 
accepted among students of prophecy, known as the 
doctrine of "the imminent return" of our Lord — that 
He may come at any moment. This teaching is based 
on an evident misconception of our Lord's statements 
regarding his coming "as a thief," in Mt. 24:42-44; 
Lu. 12 :39 and related passages. But he is not coming 
as a thief for those ivho love his appearing, but for 
those who are not ready. "As it was in the days of 
Noah" — the wicked were not prepared and "the floo3 
came and took them all away" — not Noah. So in the 
parables — not wheat separated from tares, but tares 



302 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

from wlieat: had fish from among the good. "We are 
told that ^'if the master of the house liad known in 
what watch the tliief was coming, he would . . . not 
liave suffered his house to be broken through. '^ 1 
Thess. 5:4 says: '^But ye brethren, are not in dark- 
ness, that that day should overtake you as a tliief,'^ 
And in Rev. 3 :3, ''If thou slialt not watch I will come 
as a thief.'' These passages do not represent his 
coming for sairits, but for sinners — for the separation 
of the wicked from among the righteous. 

Since w^riting the foregoing, S. D. Gordon's ''Quiet 
Talks on the Deeper Meaning of the War and Its 
Relation to our Lord's Return" has come to hand, 
and in wiiich he says (p. 284), in regard to "the 
^any moment^ — 'pre-tribulation rapture' theory, . . . 
There seems to be no trace of it in any literature 
previous to about eighty years ago. It seems to have 
arisen with a notable London preacher, Edward Ir- 
ving, and to have gotten its wide circulation and 
acceptance through a chief leader in England of the 
Plymouth Brethren, John N. Darby . . . Darby gave 
such prominence to this particular teaching of Ir- 
ving 's that it was definitely incorporated in the group 
of premillennial teachings. But Dr. Tregeles took 
exception to it, not only as not being taught in Scrip- 
ture, but as being contrary to the Scripture. With 
his scholarly mastery of the original text, and his in- 
exorable logic, he laid bare the fallacies involved. He 
insisted on the true Scripture teaching, . . . that the 
Church would witness through the tribulation, and 
that certain unmistakable outward signs would indi- 
cate the approach of Christ." This is an important 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-NINE 303 

matter, as the great mass of premillennial teaching at 
present is based on the ''any moment'' rapture theory. 
The selfish hope of escaping tribulation is magnified, 
and the Scriptural aim of bearing witness througli 
tribulation is lost sight of. 

7. The first resurrection is a special resurrection. 
The general resurrection does not occur till after the 
millennium. It is not easy to have a part in the first 
resurrection. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part'* 
in it. Paul said: (Phil. 3:11) ''If by any means I 
may attain unto the resurrection from (out of) the 
dead. Not that I have already obtained/^ He says 
that he is pi'essing on to the goal of this prize. Heb. 
11:35 tells of those who were tortured (Mar., beaten 
to death), not accepting their deliverance — by recant- 
ing — that they might obtain a better resurrection. 
This is a prize worthy of the best efforts of Christians. 

8. In several passages, Jesus is said to be the Judge 
of the living and the dead — at his coming. Other pas- 
sages in our lesson refer to his preaching to the deady 
and his purpose in so doing: "that they might be 
judged indeed according to men in the flesh, but 
live according to God in the spirit.'' These references 
are usually explained away, instead of accepting their 
statements in their evident meaning: The unscrip- 
tural doctrine that physical death ends all possibility 
of escaping punishment is responsible for this. This 
would doom more than 90 per cent of earth's popula- 
tion to endless and unspeakable suffering, that a few 
favored ones might have eternal and unspeakable 
happiness. G. Campbell Morgan characterizes this 
doctrine as "blasphemy of the worst kind." The 



304 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

great bulk of humanity — unknown billions — ^never 
heard of Christ. Even in our own country, a vast 
majority never get a clear conception of the way of 
salvation. A very large portion of these die before 
reaching maturity. The simple fact as stated in 1 Pet. 
3 :18-20 is that Jesus went — aftei^ he was put to death 
in the flesh — but being alive in the spirit^ and preached 
unto spirits of men in prison — that aforetirae had been 
disobedient — and refers distinctly to those who were 
drowned in the Flood. This was no preaching by 
Noah in the spirit of Christ before the Flood — as is 
sometimes represented. This does not imply that men 
are to have a ^^ second chance/' but only a chance. 
Mt. 12:32 says: ''And whosoever shall speak a word 
against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but 
whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall 
not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in tliat 
which is to come/^ The natural inference is that the 
other sins mentioned may be forgiven in the world 
(age) tQ come. However, there is no escape for those 
who wilfully sin after they have received the knowl- 
edge of the truth. (Heb. 10:26.) Those who sin 
ignorantly will suffer punishment — not necessarily 
eternal, but age-long, some being beaten with few and 
some with many stripes. (Lu. 12 :45-48.) 

9. ''And to destroy them that destroy the earth.'' 
This is the last item in the program of Rev. 11 :18, 
and sweeps the earth clean of the enemies of Christ. 
The details of the events involved in this are given 
in succeeding chapters. 

10. The Ark of God's covenant disappeared when 
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. No one knows. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTY-NINE 305 

what became of it. ^'The temple of God that is in 
heaven was opened, and there was seen in His temple 
the ark of His covenant/' Israel broke his covenant 
and lost his ark. God has His ark and will keep His 
covenant. 

11. The First resurrection involves a change in the 
nature of the body. Those who attain to that resur- 
rection ^^out of" the dead are members of a new 
creation. They have been changed from psychical 
beings to spiritual beings. Their bodies are to be cor- 
respondingly changed at this resurrection. An In- 
diana pastor has this to say in the Sunday School 
Times: ^'Of the mortal body, 4t is sown a natural 
(psychichos) body; it is raised a spiritual (pneu- 
matichos body) (1 Cor. 15:44). It is sown, in other 
words, a body suited to the expression of the soul 
(psyche is so translated) within it ; it is raised, a body 
suited to the expression of the spirit within it . . . 
the likeness of His own glorious body. ' ' 

12. Many a loyal Christian has suffered from a ter- 
rible fear of having committed the unpardonable sin, 
because of having of his own free will committed 
some sinful deed. If this were unpardonable nobody 
could be saved. Heb. 10 :26 does not refer to a sinful 
act, committed under temptation, but a revolt against 
the Holy Spirit, and against Christ. When one de- 
liberately, wilfully, determines upon a sinful life in 
spite of what Christ and the Holy Spirit have done 
and are ready to do for him, nothing more can be done 
to save him. No other influence can bring him to 
tepentance. One's- fear, or sorrow, of having com- 
mitted the unpardonable sin, is the best of evidence 
that he has not committed it. 



LESSON FOETY 

The Closed Dook 

The opportune time past. The time come 
when men shall seek to enter in and 
shall not be able. Cast forth without; 
into outer darkness. The furnace of 
fire. The nature and purpose of the 
torment and anguish involved. The 
duration of this punishment. 

Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many^ 
I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be 
able, when once the master of the house is risen up, 
and hath shut to the door. (Jesus.) 

Home reading: Psa. 18 
Class reading: Prov. 1:20-33 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. According to Lu. 13:23, what question 
was Jesus asked ? 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY 307 

2. What was his reply? Vs. 24-27. 

3. What shall be, when and why ? V. 28. 

4. Where will they be cast, according to 
Mt. 8:12? 

5. Who, in Mt. 22:13, is cast out, and 
where ? 

6. Who, in Mt. 25 :24-30, and why? 

7. What shall be done with the evil servant 
of Mt. 24:48-51? 

8. Who, and where, are those of Mt. 13 :41, 
42, and 49, 50 cast? 

9. To what day do these treasure up wrath ? 
Eom. 2 :5, 8, 9, 16. 

10. Under what, and unto what day are the 
unrighteous kept? 2 Pet. 2:9. 

11. Will all sufeer alike ? Lu 12 :47, 48. 

12. Who, and where, were the ^^ spirits'' of 
1 Pet. 3:19, 20? 



308 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

13. How, under what, and unto what, are 
certain angels kept ? 2 Pet. 2 :4 ; Jude 6. 

14. How is the rich man's condition de- 
scribed in Lu. 16:23, 24? 

15. To what are the '^cursed'' of Mt. 25:41 
condemned, and for whom was it pre- 
pared ? 

16. What second question did the demons of 
Mt. 8 :29 ask, and what did they entreat 
him not to do ? Lu. 8 :28, 31. 

17. What was opened, and to what was its 
smoke likened, in Rev. 9:2? 

18. Into what, and for how long, is Satan to 
be cast, according to Rev. 20 :l-3 ? 

19. What is this place called in V. 7? 

20. Into what is he to be finally cast, for 
what purpose, and for how long? Vs. 
7, 10. 

21. Who else will be there, and in what con- 
dition? Rev. 17 :8 ; 19 :20. 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY 309 

NOTES 

1. We are living in the day of grace. "Whosoever 
will — Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, white or black, 
righteous or wicked — may enter in through the Door, 
which is Christ, and be saved. Since Jesus ascended, 
and the Holy Spirit descended, the Spirit has been 
urging the opportunity upon the attention of man- 
kind, and Jesus, sitting at the right hand of the 
Father, has been presenting the names of all who 
accept his offer of life as a free gift for enrollment in 
the Lamb's book of life. The Spirit also exerts a 
mighty influence in the world toward restraining evil ; 
and convincing men of the benefits of righteousness 
toward fellow-men. But the time is near when ' ' One 
that restraineth now,'' is, according to 2 Thess. 2:6, 
7, to be taken out of the way, ^'And then shall be 
revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall 
slay with the breath of his mouth." When the Lord 
returns, and the Spirit departs, the door Avill be 
closed : this special day of grace will be at an end. 

2. This closing of the Door (which is evidently 
indicated in Rev. 10:7 — '^then is finished the mystery 
of God" — as occurring immediately before the sound- 
ing of the seventh trumpet), precedes the first resur- 
rection, which occurs after the trumpet is sounded. 
But we must not conclude that there is no more pos- 
sibility of any salvation for the people of the earth 
in the age to come. While the special dispensation 
of the Spirit ends, the reign of Christ is soon to begin, 
when Satan also is to be taken out of the way, and 
his influence over men will cease. 



310 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. But there is to be a short time, 3^ years, in 
which the final testing of the wicked occurs, and the 
wrath of God is poured out upon them, when they 
are finally all ''killed with the sword of him that sat 
upon the horse/' If this were to include all man- 
kind there would be none left to form the nations of 
the earth. There would be no kingdom over which 
Christ and his bride could rule on earth. All would 
have disappeared. But Rev. 17 :12-14 specifies that 
it is the ten-kingdom ^^beasf empire that wars against 
the Lamb, and is overcome by Him. It seems quite 
evident, therefore, that the other nations of the earth, 
the ''sheep" nations, are not directly involved. It is 
not improbable, however, that all nations will be more 
or less indirectly affected, as, in the recent war, no 
nation on earth was wholly exempt from its effects. 

4. In Jesus' answer to the question of Lu. 13 :23, he 
emphasized the need of striving to enter in by the nar- 
row door : " f 01 many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter 
in and shall not be able, when once the master of the 
house hath risen upy and hatJi shut to the door /^ InMt. 
7 :13 he said ; ' ' Enter in by the narrow gate : for wide 
ds the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to 
destruction, and many are they that enter in thereat. 
For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that 
leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it." We 
cannot make the gate any wider, or the way any 
broader than God made them. But Jesus did not say 
that all people enter either one of these gates. The 
call to the narrow gate is for all, and the warning of 
the wide gate is for all. But the great bulk of 
liumanity never heard of either one. There is always 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY 311 

a vast multitude who have never either definitely 
accepted or rejected Christ ; many because of imma- 
ture years, and many more who have very little, if 
any, knowledge of him. This vast multitude must 
not be ignored in our interpretation of prophecy, even 
though it may not be specially designated as a distinct 
class. 

5. There is a very striking statement which occurs 
six tim_es in our lesson passages. ^^ There shall be the 
weeping and the gnashing of teeth/' It is appended 
to accounts of certain offenders who are to be cast 
out of the Kingdom, ^'cast forth without,'' ^^cast 
forth into outer darkness," ^'cast into a furnace of 
fire. ' ' Compared with the glorious brilliancy of that 
Kingdom, all else is outer darkness. (Jn. 1 :5, Rom. 
2:19, 1 Pet. 29.) The offences for which these are to 
be cast out range from nnprofitahleness to wickedness. 
Different degrees of suffering are indicated, and are 
plainly so stated in Lu. 12 :47, 48. In every case the 
people involved are in the kingdom, or expect to be 
in it. They are not enemies of the kingdom. The 
cause of their weeping and gnashing of teeth is that 
they are cast out. They are not far away, for they 
can see who are in it. The five foolish virgins belong 
to this class. While they went for oil for their lamps, 
which they should have previously provided, the bride- 
groom came, "and the door ivas shut/' 

6. There is no intimation in any of these instances 
cited of eternal punishment. There is nothing in any 
of them to indicate any long period of suffering. They 
all indicate anguish at the loss of the great oppor- 
tunity. They begin to stand without, and to knock 



312 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

at the door and ask to be let in. Probably they never 
will cease to regret their lost opportunity. But these 
are not the ^'cursed" of Mt 25:41. The latter are 
not even friendly to the disciples of Christ and have 
never done them a kindness. And they are con- 
demned to depart into the age-lasting fire which is 
prepared for the devil and liis angels. Those who 
ally themselves with him must go with him. 

7. In Gen. 15:17 God typified to Abraham the 
future sufferings of Israel in Egypt by a smoking 
furnace. In Deut. 4:20 Moses said God had brought 
Israel ^^forth out of the iron furnace ^ out of Egypt.'' 
In Solomon's prayer in 1 Ki. 8:51 he said, ^^ thine 
inheritance which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, 
from the midst of the furnace of iron.'' Jer. 11:4 
says: '^out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron 
furnace." Isa. 48:10 says of Israel, ^^I have chosen 
thee in the furnace of affliction." Other 0. T. pas- 
sages contain similar expressions. It is easy then to 
see what is meant by the ''furnace" in Mt. 13:42, 50. 
All these ''weeping and gnashing" passages refer to 
the fiery trials through which they must pass in this 
time of the judgment of the great day. 

8. In four different places in the gospels it is said 
that it should be more tolerable for Sodom in the day 
of judgment than for certain Jewish cities. The 
same is twice said of Tyre. The day of judgment is 
the time of judgment both the living and the dead. 
Some judgments will be executed upon the living, 
in the plagues and the woes specified in Revelation. 
These who weep and gnash their teeth will likely 
receive their few or many stripes at this time. But 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY 313 

it is probable that the whole 1000-year period will be 
one of judgment^age-loiig punishment for whom it is 
due. No eternal punishments begin until after the 
1000 years end, except those of the beast and false 
prophet. 

9. The idea of one ^^ general resurrection" is rapidly 
disappearing among Bible students. So also is the 
'^general judgment.'' But the belief in a general 
hell, one common place of eternal punishment, still 
holds sway, in spite of the various words and descrip- 
tions employed regarding punishment and perdition. 
A full discussion of this subject is not practicable 
here, but only sufficient to locate the place of the 
plagues of the Great Day. According to Kom. 2:5, 
impenitent men treasure up ''wrath in the day of 
wrath/' The rich man in Lu. 16:23, 24 was one of 
those who 2 Pet. 2:9 says are ^^ kept Under punish- 
ment unto the day of judgment.'' The angels that 
sinned, and the wicked antediluvians are in prison 
awaiting their sentences at that time. Even the 
demons, who evidently were not in prison, besought 
Christ not to send them to the Abyss, or torment them 
before the time, Satan himself is then to be put in 
his prison — the fire prepared for him and his angels 
— at that time. But this is not his final doom. 

10. To Summarize — ^We have first a picture of the 
anguish of those who find themselves left out, or cast 
out, of the Kingdom when Christ comes for his bride. 
They are not caught up to meet him in the air. It is 
a terrible experience. But it is an experience on earth 
— not in hell. It occurs at one time only, and is not 
an eternal condition. They are left behind to go 



314 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

through the bitter experiences of the next 3^/^ years. 
Next we see angels who had sinned, held in pits of 
darkness unto the judgment of the great day. The 
word ^'heir' in 2 Pet. 2:4 in the Greek is ^'tartarus/' 
^'the lowest and darkest part of the infernal regions; 
the abode of the Titans." This w^ord is used 'no- 
where else in the Bible. The word ^^ eternal'' in Jude 
6 means perpetual, continual — the only place it is 
used. Nothing is said of fire or torture. They are 
held as prisoners in a dungeon awaiting trial at the 
great day. Third, the spirits of the wicked antedi- 
luvians in prison, to whom Christ preached while in 
the spirit state. Nothing is said of fire or torture. 
They are to be judged ^'according to men in the 
flesh. ' ' Fourth, we see the rich man in hades, suff er- 
ipg punishment ^^unto the day of judgment" — along 
with the unrighteous. Fifth, the ^'cursed," w^ho, liv- 
ing at the time of the judgment, are condemned to 
the age-lasting fire prepared for the devil and his 
angels^ and into which they are also to be cast at this 
time — in ^^his prison." The smoke that rises out of 
this pit is said in Rev. 9 :2 to be as the smoke of a 
great furnace, which, with its location in the abyss, 
differentiates it from other furnaces. This is the 
home of the locust-scorpions. If anybody wants to 
spend an age, 1000 years, in such company, he can 
do so. But these must again appear before the great 
white throne of Rev. 20:11, ^^and if any was not 
found written in the book of life," he is cast into the 
lake of fire. 



LESSON FORTY-ONE 

A Great Sign 

A woman arrayed with the sun. Her iden- 
tity. Her Child. Another sign in 
heaven: a great red dragon. His 
identity. War in heaven, and its re- 
sults. The great voice and its saying. 
Persecution of the woman, and wings 
given her. War with the rest of her 
seed. 

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her 
pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. (Isa. 
66:7.) 

I will bring you into the wilderness . . . and I 
will bring you into the bond of the covenant. (Eze. 
20:35-37.) 

Home readings: Ex. chap. 19, 20; 
Eze. chap. 16 

Class reading: Rev. chap. 12 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 
1. In Rev. 12 :1, 2 what was seen in heaven? 

315 



316 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. What will the ''woman/' Israel, yet do, 
and what will Jehovah do? Jer. 3:1; 
Hos. 2:7, 19. 

3. What other sign was seen in heaven? 
Eev. 12:3. 

4. How large a following had he in heaven ? 
V. 4a. 

5. Where was he standing, and for what 
purpose? V. 4b. 

6. Who was born ? V. 5a ; Psa. 2 :7-9 ; Eev. 
19:15. 

7. To whom, and to what throne, was he 
caught up ? Rev. 12 :5b. 

8. Describe the war in heaven. V. 7, 
(Comp. Dan. 12:1.) 

9. What was the result of the war ? V. 8. 

10. Of whom was the dragon the ^^sign,'^ 
and what is he said to be ? V. 9a ; chap. 
20:2. 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-ONE 317 

11. Where were he and his angels cast? 
V. 9b. 

12. What did the great voice say is come, 
and why? V. 10. (Comp. chap. 11:15.) 

13. Who did this voice say overcame Satan, 
and because of what? V. 11. 

14. Who are told to rejoice? V. 12a. 

15. What woe is pronounced, and why? 
V. 12b. 

16. What did the dragon see, and what did 
he do? V. 13. 

17. What were given to the woman, and 
what did she do? V. 14a, b, 6a, b. 
(Comp. Ex. 19:4.) 

18. How long is she nourished there? V. 
6c; 14c. 

19. What did the serpent do ; and how was 
the woman helped? Vs. 15, 16. (Comp. 
Num. 16:31-33.) 

20. What effect did this have on the dragon, 
and what did he then do ? V. 17. 



318 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

NOTES 

1. Here prophetic vision reaches backward as well 
as forward. The ^' woman" of Rev. 12:1 is said to 
be a si^n — not a real woman. This woman, arrayed 
with the sun, is surely the 0. T. ^^ woman/' Israel. 
All through the Bible, light is a symbol of the knowl- 
edge of God. Jesus is said to be '^a light to lighten 
the Gentiles.'' ^^The people that sat in darkness saw 
a great light. ' ' He was the fullest revelation of God. 
But this woman is said to be arrayed, or clothed, with 
the Sun — the source of light — God, himself. It was 
to Israel that God had given himself in covenant 
vows, and it was she who became the bearer of light 
to the rest of the world. No other woman was ever 
so arrayed, and no other husband could so array his 
wife. BuUinger calls attention to the correspondence 
to this sign of Joseph's second dream: (Gen. 37: 
9, 10.) ^ ^Behold! I have dreamed a dream more; 
behold, the sun, and the moon, and the eleven stars 
made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, 
and to his brethren ; and his father rebuked him and 
said unto him, . . . Shall I and thy mother and thy 
brethren indeed come to bow ourselves to thee, to 
the earth?" Here the moon, which is clothed with 
light from the sun, represented the motherhood of 
Israel, and the stars her sons, as the heads of tribes, 
corresponding to the crown of 12 stars of Rev. 12:1. 
Joseph's own mother was dead, and there were three 
other mothers of Jacob 's sons ; so that the moon could 
not typify any one of these alone, but only the typical 
woman, Israel. Gaebelein says, ' ' she represents Israel. ' ' 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-ONE 319 

Everything in the symbolical statements bears this 
out, especially the twelve stars. 

2. In Rev. 17 another woman is seen, clothed in 
royal apparel. She gave to the world, through 
the virgin Mary, the Man-child who is to rule the 
world. Some have held that this Man-child included 
the Church, or those who overcome, because such are 
also said in Rev. 2 :26, 27 to rule the nations with a 
rod of iron. But the authority there given is delegated 
to them by the Lord Jesus — authority to his bride. 

3. The dragon, ^'another sign,'' has more than once 
sought to destroy the *^ woman." We studied one of 
his attempts in the book of Esther. If he could destroy 
her, he would prevent the birth of the Man-child by 
shattering the divinely chosen lineage through which 
He was to come. Failing in that, he was only waiting 
to destroy Him. This he tried to do in Bethlehem, 
and on Calvary. But he failed, and the Man-child 
was caught up ''unto God, and unto his throne." 
But the time is coming when, with his following of 
loyal subjects. He will depose the usurper, and reign 
on earth in his stead. In chap. 10 and 11 we read 
of this Man-child as the strong angel, claiming sea 
and land, and taking possession of the throne. The 
war in heaven seems to occur almost simultaneously 
with the translation of the saints, and the ''woman" 
flees to the wilderness at the same time, to escape 
the wrath of the serpent, where she is nourished 3V2 
years, or the full time of the last half of the seventieth 
week. 

4. It is noticeable that the flight of the woman intG 
the wilderness, her being nourished there, and the 



320 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

length of her stay, are twice stated ; verses 6 and 14. 
One purpose in this repetition may be to connect what 
precedes with what follows the parenthetic account 
of the war in heaven. But it would be unnecessary 
to repeat all these details for that purpose. It is 
probable that the main purpose is to call attention to 
this event as of special importance. The fact that the 
time of her stay is stated in two different ways calls 
special attention to that also. The length of time is 
given to the very day. Daniel is also very explicit in 
regard to these same end-time dates. In Dan. 8 :13, 14 
the length of time that the sanctuary and the host are 
to be trodden under foot is stated as 2,300 days till 
the sanctuary is cleansed. Rev. 11 :2 states the time ; 
the court and holy city are to be trodden down as 42 
months. "When the beast of Rev. 13 :1-10 appears, he 
is given 42 months to continue. Dan. 12:7 and Rev. 
12:14 both speak of the ^'time, times, and a-half." la 
Dan. 12 :11, 1,290 days are specified as time left after 
the continual burnt offering is taken away and the 
abomination that maketh desolate set up* (to which 
Christ called particular attention in Mt. 24:15; Mk. 
13:14). And the time of blessedness comes at the 
1,335th day. In Rev. 11:3 and 12:6 the 1,260 days 
correspond with the related 42 months in each case. 
Doubtless these dates will be of very special interest as 
these items come to their fulfilment; and they are 
worthy of careful consideration now ; but lack of space 
forbids further discussion of them here. 

5. It would seem probable from these dates that the 
ascension of the saints, and the casting down of Satan 
may occur on the same day ; and the saints seem to 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY~-ONE 321 

have a part, with Michael and his angels, in overcom- 
ing him, according to V. 11. If the flight of the 
woman occurs on the same day, it will surely be a 
most momentous day! When *^the seventy returned 
with joy, saying. Lord, even the demons are subject 
unto us in thy name," and Jesus replied, *'I beheld 
Satan fallen as lightning from heaven," was he not 
giving them a prophetic glimpse of that final, sudden, 
and terrific casting down, in which they were to have 
part ? 

6. The third woe comes when Satan is cast down to 
the earth, having great ivratli. No greater woe than 
this could befall the earth. The war is on ; and within 
the next 31/2 y^ars Satan pours out his wrath against 
the woman and against her seed, while the seven bowls 
of God's wrath are poured out upon Satan's followers, 
^'them that dwell on the land." The Church, which 
had entered into the kingdom of God ^'through many 
tribulations" (Acts 14:22), is not exposed to these 
out -pourings of wrath, for Jesus ^'delivered us from 
the wrath to come." (1 Thess. 1:10.) 

7. '* Therefore rejoice, heavens, and ye that 
dwell in them" — is part of the saying of the great 
voice. It is very significant that the word ''dwell" 
in this verse, and also in Chap. 13:6, is a different 
word from ''dwell" in the passages which speak of 
*'them that dwell on the earth." Literally, it ia 
**them that tent (or tabernacle) in heaven." It seems 
to indicate a temporary residence in heaven. As 
angels are permanent residents there, some have held 
that this is doubtless the company of the saints which 
is called upon to rejoice with the heavens. And it is 



322 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

this mighty army of saints which the beast blasphemes 
in Rev. 13 :6. 

8. ^^When those wings were lent to Israel in the 
flight from the Dragon in Egypt they carried the 
people into the wilderness, even to Sinai. And here 
we have the wilderness again, as well as the same 
eagle 's wings, and that very same wilderness of Sinai. 
Habakknk, celebrating certain revelations of the Lord 
connecting wath this very time, speaks of his coming 
from ^Teman,' the southern section of Idumea, and 
from ^ Mount Paran,' w^hich identifies it with Sinai 
and its hills. (Hab. 3.) It is here called ^her place' — 
a place belonging to her, which God hath prepared for 
her. And, remarkable enough, this was the locality to 
which Moses fled for security from the wrath of 
Pharaoh, — to which Israel fled from the tyranny and 
rage of the Egyptians, — to which Elijah betook him- 
self for refuge from the wrath of the bloody Jezebel, — 
to which the faithful Jews retired from the persecu- 
tions of the Syrian kings in Maccabean times. Having 
served as the place of shelter for God's faithful ones 
in so many instances, and on such marked occasions, 
it may well be called ^Tier place/ — the one locality of 
all on earth prepared and consecrated as the desert 
asylum of God's persecuted people.'' (Seiss.) 

9. When Israel came out of Egypt into the wilder- 
ness, she was led to Mt. Sinai, where the covenant was 
made and ratified, and where she remained nearly a 
year. Altogether she was nourished on manna forty 
years. When. Israel again flees to the wilderness she 
is to ratify a new covenant, probably at the same place, 
and altogether is to be nourished 42 months. Twice 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-ONE 323 

in Jer. (31:31-33 and 50:4, 5), it is stated that this 
covenant is to be made with the house of Israel, and 
the house of Judah. This is quoted in Heb. 8 :8 — the 
house of Israel, and the house of Judah. The covenant 
promise is ^^I will put my laws into their mind, and ou 
their heart also will I write them.'' It is to be a 
national covenant, to replace the old covenant, in 
which Moses acted as mediator. According to Heb. 
9:15 Christ ^4s the mediator of a new covenant, a 
death having taken place for the redemption of the 
transgressions that were under the first covenant," 
etc. Israel only was involved in the first covenant. 
But the redemption of the transgressions of all man- 
kind was also provided for by that same death, and 
made available through faith, ^^to the end that the 
promise may be sure to all the seed ; not to that only 
w^hich is of the law, but to that also which is of the 
faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all" — so 
that we are all included in the spiritual benefits of 
that redemption. But nationally, only Israel and 
Judah are involved. "We are not included in the title 
to Palestine, as our future national home-land, or to 
any tribal connections. Israel has been an unfaithful 
wife, divorced, and must return in penitence and be 
re-obligated to her former spouse, before she can again 
be mistress of the old home. 

10. There seems to be a special covenant implied in 
Jn. 6 :27-58, made applicable to individuals and based 
on the same sacrifice. It is conditioned on belief on 
Christ and eating his body and drinking his blood. 
This covenant is ratified individually by complying 
with Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22-25. '^This is my 



324 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

body''; ''This is my blood of the covenant, which is 
poured out for many. ' ' This covenant does not apply 
specifically to Israel and Judah. It is a covenant of 
endless life (Jn. 6:50), and a part in tJie first resur- 
rection, ''And I will raise him up at the last day" 
is repeated four times. This covenant ends with that 
resurrection. The new covenant is not ratified by 
Israel until after this resurrection. 

11. In earlier lessons, we saw how armies are some- 
times spoken of as rivers (Jer. 46:7, 8, and others). 
So here we see the serpent causes an army, by orders 
issuing from his mouth, to pursue the woman into the 
wilderness. And as the earth opened her mouth and 
swallowed up Korah and his company of rebels in the 
time of Moses, so it will open her mouth and swallow 
up this river of men who are pursuing Israel. The 
dragon then turns away from this woman (probably 
the 144,000 of Chap. 7), and makes war on the rest 
of her seed — the culmination of the "time of Jacob's 
trouble" — which the sealed ones are to escape. 



LESSON FORTY-TWO 

The Two Beasts 

The Beast out of the sea, and his delegated 
power. The corresponding beast of 
Daniel 7. His time of authority; his 
blasphemies, and his war with the 
saints. The Beast out of the earth; his 
delegated authority; his miraculous 
powers. The image of the beast. The 
control of commerce. The mark. 

And he shall speak words against the Most High, 
and shall wear out the saints of the most high; . . . 
and they shall be given into his hand until a time and 
times and half a time. (Dan.) 

Home readings: Dan. Chap. 7, 8; 11:28- 
12:13. 

Class reading: Rev. Chap. 13. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What did John see coming up out of 
the sea? Eev. 13:1. (Comp. Dan. 7:7, 
8.) 

325 



325 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. What was this beast like, and what was 
given to him? V. 2. (Comp. Dan. 7: 
23; 8:24.) 

3. What wonder was seen in V. 3 ? (Comp. 
Eze. 21:25.) 

4. Who were worshipped, and with what 
saying ? V. 4. 

5. What was given the beast according to 
V. 5? (Comp. Dan. 7:25.) 

6. What did he do according to V. 6? 

7. What power and authority were given 
him according to V. 7? (Comp. 17:12, 
13, 17.) 

8. Who shall worship him ? V. 8. 

9. What injunction in V. 9 is given for the 
last time? 

10. What statements are made in V. 10? 

11. What does Dan. 9:27 say of this time? 
(Comp. Jer. 30:7; Zeph. 1:15; 2:3.) 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-TWO 327 

12. What did Jolin next see, and what two 
characteristics are mentioned ? Rev. 13 : 
11. 

13. What authority does he exercise, and 
under whose supervision ? Vs. 12a, 14a. 

14. What does he make the earth-dwellers 
do? V. 12b. 

15. What does he do? V. 13, (Comp. 2 

Thess. 2:8, 9.) 

16. What does he accomplish, and w^hat does 
he persuade these earth-dwellers to do ? 
V. 14. 

17. What was it given him to do, and to 
cause ? V. 15. 

18. What does he cause, according to V. 
16? 

19. What should no other man then be able 
to do? V. 17. 

20. What sign is given by which the beast 
may be identified ? V. 18. 



328 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

NOTES 

1. Chapter 13 describes another episode. John sees 
himself standing on the seashore, where he witnesses 
two beasts rising, one from the sea, and one from the 
land. This probably has reference to the time when 
the strong angel set his right foot upon the sea and 
his left foot upon the land, his lion-roar challenge be- 
ing at once answered by the rising of these beasts to 
contest his claims. 

2. The beast from the sea is easily recognized as the 
same beast which Daniel saw come up from the sea. 
This ten-horned beast also co-ordinates with the ten- 
toed image. The little horn of Daniel's beast, before 
which three horns were plucked up by the roots, leav- 
ing but seven real heads of the government, seems to 
have the balance of power, and speaks the ^' great 
things" that in Rev. are said to be spoken by the beast. 
It was this beast who killed the two witnesses of Chap. 
11, before the sounding of the seventh trumpet. It 
is thought that this beast, or the little horn, also re- 
ceives his death wound at this time, and that he is 
satanically resurrected after the sounding of the 
trumpet, coincident with the resurrection of the saints 
of Christ. The description in Rev. 13 :3 is of the beast 
in this resurrected form. In Chap. 17:8 this resur- 
rected beast is described as ^^was, and is not; and 
is about to come up out of the abyss" — which also 
locates the episode of that chapter as beginning before 
the seventh trumpet. Bullinger says: ^^This is the 
beast in his superhuman stage. Already he has been 
on the earth for 3 14 years, in his mortal stage. He 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-TWO 329 

then receives his death-wound mentioned below, in 
Verse 3 (as the seventh head), and comes up out of 
the abyss as the eighth king, comprising all the seven 
heads and the ten horns. ' ' 

3. If we are correct in understanding the separation 
of the sheep from the goats as a segregation of the 
righteous out of, and the wicked into the beast empire, 
and the latter designated as ''they that dwell on the 
earth," it is easier to understand some of the state- 
ments made, if we also translate the Greek ''ge" 
*'land" instead of ''earth." It is easy to see how all 
the inhabitants of the land of the heast can be in- 
duced to worship Satan^ and the Ijeast^ and the image. 
It is hard to understand how all the other nations of 
the earth could be induced to worship the blasphemous 
ruler of this ten-nation combine, any more than the 
people of the Allies could be induced to worship the 
Kaiser. 

4. It was given him to make war with the saints. 
The saints in Christ will then be with him in the air. 
But the people of Israel are also called saints and will 
still be on earth. Their land, according to 0. T. 
prophecies, is to be overrun and conquered at this 
time. But there is nothing said of his making war on 
any other nation. There is "given to him authority 
over every tribe and people and tongue and nation" — 
evidently indicating the many nationalities, tribes and 
tongues included in the confederacy. From being a 
little horn, uprooting three others, he is now given 
authority over all of them. This is clear from Chap. 
17 :12, 13, IT, which say that it is these kings who them- 
selves give him this authority. 



330 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

5. It seems probable from Dan. 9 :27 that the land 
of Palestine will be included in the federation of 
nations over which the beast will have authority, by 
virtue of '^a firm covenant''; which, after 3I/2 years, 
he breaks, w^hen the image is set up and they are com- 
pelled to worship it under pain of death. The Jews^ 
refusal to worship is supposed to result in the war of 
V^ 7. Verse 10 indicates some of the inevitable results 
to Israel. From Chap. 16 :13, 14 it seems probable 
that, by a diabolical propaganda, the beast will seek 
to draw all the kings of the whole world into this war. 
This 'Svhole world" is ^^oikoumene, habitable earth, 
or land'' (Young). It seems from Zech. 13:8, 9 and 
14:1, 2, and from other 0. T. passages, that this 
propaganda will result in gathering the nations of 
the tlie7i knoivn world. Possibly it will induce some 
men from among more distant lands to join in this 
final effort to exterminate Israel. But there are no 
kings in the Western hemisphere. In Lu. 2 :1, 
^^oikoumene" includes only the Roman empire, and 
it is probable that only the ^^ Roman world" is indi- 
cated here. 

6. God's purpose in permitting this attack upon 
Israel seems to be to sift out and completely segregate 
those who will not have Our Lord reign over them. 
' ' But these mine enemies, that would not that I should 
reign over them, hring Jiither^ and slay them before 
me." ''Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel^ 
with wratli and fierce anger; to make the land a deso- 
lation, and to destroy tJie sinners thereof out of it.'* 
(Isa. 13:9.) ''That day is a day of wratJi, a day of 
trouhle and distress, a day of wasteness and gloomi- 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-TWO 331 

ness, a day of clouds and thick darkness. . . . Neither 
their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them 
in the day of Jehovah's wrath; but the whole land 
shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he 
will make an end, yea, a terrible endy of all them that 
dwell in the land/' (Zeph. 1:15-18.) '^Let the 
nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley 
of Jehoshaphat ; for there will I sit to judge all the 
nations round about.'' (Joel 3 :11, 12.) ''And it shall 
come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will punish the 
host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the 
earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered 
together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and 
shall be shut up in the prison; and after many days 
shall they be visited." (Isa. 24:21, 22.) 'Tome, my 
people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy 
doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, 
until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, 
Jehovah cometh forth out of his place to punish the 
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. ... In 
that day Jehovah with his hard and great and strong 
sword will punish leviathan the swift serpent, and 
leviathan the crooked serpent, and he will slay the 
monster that is in the ^ea." (Isa. 26 :20-27 :1.) 

7. The dragon, the beast out of the sea, and the 
beast out of the earth, constitute a diabolical trinity. 
The dragon is Satan, the first beast the Antichrist, 
and the second beast one who persuades men to wor- 
ship the dragon and the first beast, as the Holy Spirit 
persuades men to worship God and his Son. He 
is also called the false prophet. According to 2 Thess. 
2 :1-10 the Antichrist, or man of sin, must be revealed 



332 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

at about the same time as ^'our gathering together 
unto him." His character, as given in Vs. 9, 10, 
corresponds with that of the beast from the sea. 

8. The false prophet comes up out of the earth, or 
land. This seems to suggest his coming out of Israel — 
the people of the land. He does not come from the 
sea of nations. No Gentile could palm himself off on 
Israel as a prophet. He has two horns like a lamb — 
uncrowned innocence in appearance, but having civil 
and religious power, delegated by the beast, but sub- 
ject to his oversight. He exerts wonderful power over 
*'them that dwell on the earth," but certainly could 
not compel people outside of the kingdom of the beast 
either to make an image of the beast or to be branded 
on their foreheads, or on their right hands, with his 
name or number — signifying subjection to him. Satan 
will thus imitate the sealing of the Lord's people on 
their foreheads as described in Chap. 7:3 and 14:1. 

9. By making it impossible for any man to either 
buy or sell without this mark, the beast has a death 
grip upon his subjects. They must submit or starve, 
unless they can manage to exist without buying or 
selling. This is imperialism ^^gone to seed." It is 
not unionism, but the opposite. In the next chapter, 
Vs. 9, 10, an angel warns men of the dire consequences 
of submitting to worship the beast and his image, or 
to the branding of his name upon them. This warning 
results in saving some from these penalties, and they 
come oft' victorious in resisting the demands of the 
beast. (15:2, 3.) 

10. Many interesting explanations of the meaning 
of the number 666 have been made. But there are 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-TWO 333 

•too many, and they vary so much that there is little 
hope of discovering its real significanee. It is of no 
consequence to anyone until the time for identification 
comes. 

11. The image of the beast, which the false prophet 
persuades men to make, is supposed to be ^'the abom- 
ination of desolation" of Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; 
Mt. 24 :15 ; and Mk. 13 :14 ; and that this image is to 
to be set up in the temple, the personification of the 
beast, ^'so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting 
himself forth as God." (2 Thess. 2:4.) This abom- 
ination was strikingly fulfilled in most aspects by 
Antiochus Epiphanes. (See Lesson 25.) A second 
fulfilment, which many consider the final, was the de- 
filement of the temple by the Romans under Titus. 
It is said that the Christian Jews saved themselves 
ty escaping to the mountains when the Roman stand- 
ard was set up in the temple. It was probably to 
emphasize the importance of watching for such a sign 
that Jesus mentioned this before he told them of the 
tribulation which was to precede it, in the terrible 
siege of Jerusalem, before that city fell. The final ful- 
filment also occurs after the last general ^^ great tribu- 
lation," and before the final pangs of '^Jacob's 
trouble." Only Jews are involved in the latter, but 
all the world is involved in the great tribulation, which 
many hold as having already begun. 



LESSON FORTY-THREE 

The Lamb on Moir:N^T Zio:n' 

Taking possession of the citadel, David's 
throne. His body-guard of 144,000. 
The voice as of many waters and as of 
great thunder, and the song. The 
proclamation of emancipation. The 
hour of his judgment. The warning of 
impending wrath. The reaping, the 
gathering, the winepress. 

Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out oP 
Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his 
people, then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be 
glad. (Psa. 53:6.) 

Home readings: Micah, Chap. 4 and 5. 

Class reading: Rev. Chap. 14. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What did John see on Mount Zion ? Rev. 
14:1. 

334 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-THREE 335 

2. What did he hear? V. 2. 

3. What song ^Yas sung, and who only 
could learn it ? V. 3. 

4. What three things are said about 
^^these''? V.4. 

5. What is said of them in V. 5 ? 

6. What did John next see, and what did 
he have ? V. 6. 

7. What was the proclamation, and how 
was it proclaimed ? Y. 7. 

8. What second proclamation was made, 
and by whom ? V. 8. 

9. What was the third proclamation, and 
by whom? Vs. 9-11. 

10. Wliose steadfastness is made manifest 
here? V. 12. 

11. What did a voice from heaven say ? V. 
13. 



336 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. Whom did John next see, what was on 
his head, and what in his liand ? V. 14. 

13. From whence did another angel come, 
how, and to whom did he cry ? Y . 15a. 

14. What did he say to do, and why? Vs. 
15b, c, d. 

15. What was then done? V. 16. 

16. From whence did another angel come, 
and what did he haye ? V. 17. 

17. From whence did another angel come, 
and what did he do and say ? V. 18. 

18. What was then done? Y. 19. 

19. Where was the winepress trodden, what 
came from it, and how much ? Y. 20. 

20. How many angels and how many yoices 
are mentioned in this lesson ? 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-THREE 337 

NOTES 

1. Chapter 14 :1 begins another episode. lA 11 :1, 2 
we saw the process of taking possession of the temple 
of God. At that time it was said that the Holy City, 
outside the temple, should be trodden under foot by 
the Gentiles 42 months. In 14:1 the 42 months are 
past, and the Lamb, with his Israelitish body-guard, 
is now in possession of Mount Zion, the citadel, the 
site of David's throne; as Mount Moriah was of 
Jehovah's throne on earth. Jesus takes possession as 
a Lamb. This occupation of Zion probably occurs 
immediately after the proclamation of 11 :15, and the 
song of 14 :3 would naturally come next. 

2. These 144,000 are most certainly the same as 
those of 7 :4. They were sealed on their foreheads 
with the seal of the living God, and these have ^'His 
name and the name of his Father written on their 
foreheads." These are evidently Israelites, for they 
are on Zion, the citavdel of Israel, the site of David's 
palace and throne. The song is ^^as it were a new 
song" — not really a new song, but one so long unsung 
that it sounds new again. Israel's harps have hung 
on the willows of Babylon for nearly 2,500 years. 
*^ There we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remem- 
bered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst thereof 
we hanged up our harps." (Psa. 137:2.) No one 
but a Jew — none but that 144,000 — could learn that 
song! 

3. ^'We are not to suppose, with some, that these 
144,000 are all males who have never been married ; 
for there is no more impurity in marriage than in 



338 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

abstinence from marriage. Celibacy is not the sub- 
ject or virtue of this description, but purity, freedom 
from contamination by the corruptions which prevail 
in their time. The reign of the Antichrist is the reign 
of harlotry, both literal and spiritual. It is a time 
when chaste marriage is no more regarded than the 
worship of the true God. But from all such defile- 
ments these people have kept themselves unspotted. 
. . . ^ The kingdom of heaven is likened to ten virgins' 
. . . and this is the sort of virginity attained and 
maintained by these people." (Seiss.) These are not 
of the church, in heaven, but first fruits purchased 
from among men, on earth; who have come to recog- 
nize Jesus as the rightful claimant to David's throne. 
They are true Israelites who are loyal to the God of 
their fathers, and have accepted no lie, no false teach- 
ing, or idolatry. 

4. The proclamation of the angel flying in mid- 
heaven is age-lasting. It is not the gospel of the 
church age; that is past. But it is good tidings to 
^^them that dwell on the earth, and unto every tribe, '* 
etc. It is an offer of a temporal salvation, which will 
emancipate all who meet the conditions named, from 
the awful suffering of those who submit to have the 
brand of the beast placed upon forehead or hand — 
the sign of mental or manual slavery to him — and 
secures them from the final slaughter of those w^ho re- 
ceive that mark, and the doom of the 1,000 years in 
the great furnace of fire. 

5. The words of the proclamation of this angel are, 
^^Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of Ms 
jwdgment is come : and. ivorship Mm that made the 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-THREE 339 

heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of 
waters.^' There is no mention here of Christ, or of 
the new birth, or of the great salvation through faith ; 
nothing of the glorious kingdom or the bride of Christ. 
It is only a call to fear God and give him glory and 
worship Him as Creator, as an alternative to fearing 
the beast and worshipping Him. 

6. The threat of the false prophet is of death to all 
who do not worship the image of the beast, and of 
inability to buy or sell. The contra-warning of the 
third angel is that he who worships the beast and his 
image ^' shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,'' 
so soon to be poured out ; ' ' and he shall be tormented 
with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy 
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.'' Both of 
these statements seem to apply to the 3% years of the 
pouring out of the wrath of God. But it is awful 
torment. The latter statement does not seem to apply 
to the *^ great furnace," for there they will be in the 
presence of the fallen angels and the dragon, not the 
holy angels and the Lamb. The statements here seem 
to apply only to torments of living men. In 16 :8 we 
see how such men are ^^ scorched with fire." The word 
*^ brimstone" everywhere in Rev. is ^'theion/' literally, 
*' divine fire"; but often used by the Greeks to desig- 
nate sulphur. Rev. 16:8 is surely ^^ divine fire" — not 
common fire. 

7. Another contrast between those who receive the 
mark and those who do not, is that the former have 
no rest, day or night. They are in ceaseless torture 
during this 3% years, and, of course, will be during 
the 1,000 years in Satan's prison. But those who re- 



340 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

fuse the mark, choosing rather to '^die in the Lord" 
in consequence, are ^^ blessed," because they ^^may 
rest from their labors; for their works follow with 
them. ' ' A future reward awaits them. 

8. This 13th verse seems to indicate a more blessed 
salvation than that proclaimed in Verses 6 and 7, 
which is secured by suffering the death penalty of 
13 :15. In fact, the good tidings of 14 :15 may in- 
clude more than is indicated in the proclamation. It 
seems like the reopening of the door into the kingdom 
for a few moments. We are not so told, but we may 
hope that those who were cast out, or disappointed at 
not being admitted, may now enter, along with all the 
other people of the beast kingdom who can be induced 
to do so by this special call and the warning of the 
third angel, especially if this involves martyrdom. 
20 :4 may indicate also a belated part in the first resur- 
rection, as these very people are here specified as 
among those who live and reign with Christ 1,000 
years. 

9. Verse 11 says, ^^and the smoke of their torment 
goeth up forever and ever." (Gr. ^^unto ages of 
ages.") We have no right to make this mean more, 
or less, than what it says. It does not say that these 
are tormented forever and ever, as is said of the devil 
and the beast and the false prophet in 20:10; and 
which is said of no others. Chapters 17 and 18 de- 
scribe the destruction of Babylon. It is said that her 
judgment is come ^4n one hour''; ^^she shall be 
utterly 'burned with fire"; ^^and shall be found no 
more at all,'' But her smoke goeth up for ever and 
ever. The torment of 14:11 is certainly a never-to- 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-THREE 341 

be-forgotten torment. It may mark those *who endure 
it with everlasting disgrace. It is bad enough. But 
let us not make it worse than it is. 

10. ^^Here is the steadfastness of the saints, they 
that keep tlie commandments of God^ and the faith of 
Jesus.'' This is a time of testing preliminary to the 
pouring out of the vials of wrath. The separations 
and classifications must be complete, so that wrath 
shall not fall upon the undeserving. All of this 
chapter, the possession of Zion, the unwritten song, 
the proclamations — to the 14th verse, will probably 
come in quick succession, at the sounding of the 
seventh trumpet (see Lesson 39), and preceding the 
harvest of the kingdom (Mt. 13 :39 ; Mk. 4 :26-29) , and 
the rapture, which seem to be indicated in Vs. 14, 15. 
The crowned King sits upon a white cloud. He casts 
his sickle upon the earth; and the earth is reaped. 
According to 1 Cor. 15:52, this is to occur ^'in a 
moment, in the twinkling of an eye. ' ' Then we shall 
be caught up in the clouds to meet him in the air, 
never to be separated from him again. 

11. In about twenty passages in the N. T. a certain 
^4iour'' is mentioned. ^^But of that day and hour 
knoweth no one ' ' ; ^ ' for in an hour that ye think not 
the Son of Man cometh" as a thief. ^' Shall come in 
a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he 
knoweth not.'' ''"Watch therefore, for ye know not 
the day nor the hour.'' ''If the master of the house 
had known what hour the thief was coming" — etc. 
The church of Sardis is warned, "If therefore thou 
shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt 
not know what hour I will come upon thee." The 



342 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

church of Philadelphia is promised; "1 also will keep 
thee from the Jiour of trial.' ^ Twice in this lesson that 
hour is mentioned; in V. 7 as the hour of his judg- 
ment, and in V. 15 as the hour to reap. In 17 :12 the 
ten kings are said to receive authority for one Jiour. 
Three times in Chap. 18, the judgment of Babylon is 
said to have come in one hour. Putting all these pas- 
sages together, the evidence is very strong that this 
^^hour'' refers to the last 3I/2 years — the years of 
wrath. 16:15 says: ''Behold, I come as a thief.'' 

12. Another sickle was cast into the earth and 
gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the 
great winepress of the wrath of God. Joel 3 :12, 13 
says: ''Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up 
to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to 
judge all the nations round about. Put ye in the 
sickle; for the harvest is ripe : come, tread ye ; for the 
winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wicked- 
ness is great." The vast number of wicked, those 
who worship the beast, is indicated by the immense 
flow of blood, 160 miles long, as deep as to the bridles 
of horses. This slaughter occurs as the final act of 
divine wrath, before Satan is cast into the abyss— his 
prison. 

13. In Verse 8, the second angel proclaims the fall- 
ing of Babylon. This seems to be only a fore-an- 
nouncement, as one of the principal items of the com- 
ing program. This does not occur until after the 
seventh bowl is poured out (16:17-19), and the ac- 
count in full occupies all of Chapters 17 and 18. 



LESSON FORTY-FOUR 

The Seven Last Plagues 

Another sign in heaven, great and marvel- 
ous. The victors; their song. Seven 
angels and seven bowls. Disgusting, 
painful sores. Blood as of a dead man. 
Blood to drink. Scorching heat. Dark- 
ness. Euphrates dried up. Prepara- 
tions for the great v^ar. ^^It is done!'' 
The great earthquake, and hail. 

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers 
take counsel together, against Jehovah, and against 
his anointed, . . . The Lord will have them in 
derision. Then will he speak unto them in his wrath. 
(Psa. 2.) 

Home readings: Psa. 2, and 21 ; Eze. Ch. 7. 

Class reading: Rev. 15:1-16:21. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. How is the sign of Rev. 15 :1 described, 
and what is finished in these plagues? 

343 



344 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. Who were seen in V. 2, where, and what 
did they have ? (Comp. 12 :11.) 

3. What songs do they sing? Vs. 3a, b. 

4. /hich song is given in Vs. 3, 4 ? (Comp. 
Ex. 15:1-18; Deut. 31:30-32:44.) 

5. Who came from the inner temple, and 
how were they arrayed? Vs. 5, 6. 

6. What was given them, and by whom? 
V. 7, 

7. How was the glory and power of God 
manifested, and with what result? V. 
8. (Comp. Ex. 40 :34, 35 ; 1 Ki. 8 :10,11.) 

8. Where was a great voice heard, and what 
was said ? Rev. 16 :1. 

9. What resulted from pouring the first 
bowl into the earth? V. 2. (Comp. Ex. 
9:10.) 

10. What was the effect of pouring out the 
second bowl? V. 3. (Comp. Ex. 7:20, 
21.) 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-FOUR 345 

11. What resulted from the pouring of the 
third bowl? V. 4. 

12. What two sayings are recorded in Vs. 

5-7? 

13. Where was the fourth bowl poured, and 
with what results? Vs. 8, 9. (Comp. 
Deut. 32:24.) 

14. Where was the fifth bowl poured, and 
what was darkened? V. 10a. (Comp. 
Ex. 10:21-23.) 

15. What resulted from pouring the sixth 
bowl, and for what purpose ? V. 12. 

16. What did John see in Vs. 13, 14, and 
where, and for what do they go forth? 

17. What statements are made in V. 15 ? 

18. Where will these armies gather ? V. 16. 

19. What followed the great voice from the 
throne saying ^^It is done!"? Vs. 17- 
21. (Comp. Isa. 29 :5-8 ; Rev. 11 :19 ; Ex. 



346 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

9:23-26; Josli. 10:11; Isa. 30:30; Eze. 
13:10-13; 38:19-22.) 

20. What effect will these plagues have on 
these men ? Vs. 11, 21. 



NOTES 

1. In Chapter 11, after the seventh trumpet is 
sounded, and the proclamation that the kingdom of 
the world is become our Lord's, and the pgean of praise, 
and the announcement of program follow rapidly, the 
statement is made in V. 19 that ^^ there was opened the 
temple of God that is in heaven . . . and there fol- 
lowed lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an 
earthquake, and great haiP' — things which are de- 
scribed in fuller detail in Chapters 15 and 16, where 
the opening of the temple is again mentioned. This 
opening of the temple therefore takes us back once 
more to the time immediately following the seventh 
trumpet. 

2. Verses 2 to 4 of Chapter 15 are parenthetical, 
describing a different scene from the one which Verse 
1 introduces, and which is again taken up in Verse 
5. This insertion of the scene of Verses 2-4 here is 
probably to locate it in its proper time. 

It indicates that the separations were complete and 
final before the bowls of wrath are poured out. Only 
the incorrigibly wicked are to suffer these penalties. 
Probably the call to Israelites in Babylon ^^Come 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-FOUR 347 

forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellow- 
ship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her 
plagues'' (18:4), also occurs before the outpouring of 
wrath begins. 

3. '*A11 is now ready to begin this final assault on 
the kingdom of the Infernal Trinity — the Dragon, the 
Beast and the False Prophet. . . . The Dragon is to 
be attacked in his capitol and on his throne. The 
Beasts are to be attacked in their seats of authority; 
and their followers and worshippers are to ^have no 
rest day and night' upon the earth.'' (Bullinger.) 
All through these descriptions are to be found evi- 
dences that these bowls of wrath are confined to the 
kingdom of the beast, and are not for all the nations 
of the world. The other nations, after the segregation 
of sheep and goats is complete, have nothing to fear. 
God will spread his tabernacle over them. ''They 
shall hunger -no more," as they now are hungering. 
The terrific heat of 16 :8 will not affect them, for 
^'neither shall the sun strike on them, nor any heat.'^ 
The fifth bowl is to be poured on the throne of the 
beast, and only his kingdoyn is to be darkened — just 
as in the darkness that could be felt for three days in 
Egypt, ''the children of Israel had light. " Only those 
who have the mark of the beast are subject to these 
last plagues. But the remnant of the woman's seed, 
those Israelites who have not fled to the wilderness, are 
to be subject to persecution by the Dragon. 

4. There is a suggestion of civil war within the beast 
empire. It is part iron and part clay and does not 
hold together well. There are those who come off 
victorious from the beast and from his image — those 



348 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

who refuse to submit to such abject slavery, and, in 
response to the good tidings of the angel in mid- 
heaven, resist his authority. Whether all such are 
slain, and thus gain access to the company named in 
20 :4, or whether the revolt is finally successful is un- 
certain; but certainly the kings of this confederacy 
revolt against the religious system supported by the 
beast and destroy it. (17:16.) 

5. The sea of glass of V. 2 reminds us of the sea of 
glass of 4 :6. This may also be a laver — called a ' ' sea. ' ' 
But the water in the first was crystalline, while this 
is ^^ mingled with fire. '^ These may be ^^ saved, yet so 
as through fire'' — (1 Cor. 3 :15). The songs they sing 
are songs of allegiance to God as the rightful king of 
the nations. ' ' Great and marvelous ' ' is the song, and 
^' great and marvelous are thy works . . . thou king 
of the nations,' ' (Mar.) ^^For all the nations shall 
come and worship before thee. ' ' 

6. The seven angels of V. 6 are probably the same 
as those of 8 :2, who ^^ stand before God." These come 
from the ^^naos,'' or Holy of Holies, the throne room. 
'^They are priest-angels, for they are clothed in pure 
bright linen, and girded about their breasts with 
golden girdles, which is the priest's dress. They ap- 
pear as priests, because they come for the sacrificing 
of a great sacrifice to the offended holiness and justice 
of God . . . the vessels containing the wrath of God 
are handed out by one of the Living Ones. The vessels 
were shallow, pan-like golden bowls or censers, such as 
were used in the temple to hold the fire when incense 
was burned. They are priestly censers, as in Chapter 
8:5." (Seiss.) Their mission was so important and 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-FOUR 349 

urgent, that a mighty exhibition of the glory and 
•power of God in the temple made it imperative that 
these angels complete their work before they could re- 
turn. 

7. The command to go and pour out these censers 
upon the land also came from the throne room. We 
do not know how rapidly the angels are to follow each 
other. All must be poured out within the last 31/2 
years ; but they may follow each other so rapidly that 
more than one plague will be operative at the same 
time. But it is evident that the fifth could not be in 
force so long as the fourth was felt. It is more likely 
that they are to be experienced singly, as the plagues 
of Egypt w^ere. '^In the plagues of Egypt, which all 
take to be literal, we have many judgments exactly 
similar. Indeed, six out of the seven vials are just 
the same as the plagues of Egypt, and God has again 
and again declared that their final judgments should 
be like, yea, should be worse than those. . . . Now if 
six out of these seven judgments have already been 
once seen and experienced, why should not like 
plagues be sent again, when it is expressly said that 
the supernatural events connected with Israel's return 
shall be 'like as it was ... in the day that he came 
up out of the land of Egypt' (Isa. 11:16) V (Bui- 
linger. ) 

8. It is noticeable that there is a repetition, not only 
of the plagties of Egypt, but also of the signs and 
plagues of Chapters 6, 8 and 11. Blood, darkness 
and earthquakes in particular, but with increasing 
severity. In 16 :3 the blood is not fresh blood but ''as 
of a dead man/^ The w^hole series of plagues is to 



350 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

end in an enormous flood of the blood of dead men. 
The sea, in which every living creature is to die is. 
doubtless the Mediterranean, or Great Sea — not all the 
oceans, as that would exterminate all marine life — 
to no purpose. More blood is next in the rivers and 
fountains of waters, and the people of those nations 
are compelled to drink blood. They are deserving of 
it. The Egyptians dug about the river for water to 
drink, because they could not drink the blood of the 
river. (Ex. 7:20-24.) 

9. As God dried iip the Red Sea and the Jordan 
River for Israel to pass over, so he will dry up a 
passage across the Euphrates, so that the kings of 
the east can cross with their armies on their way to 
the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. They 
are to meet about Jerusalem to make war against the 
Lamb, who, as we have seen, will then be in possession 
of Mount Zion. Har-Magedon is the Mount of 
Megiddo. The great plain takes it name from this 
mountain and is the old battle-field on w^hich many 
desperate conflicts have been fought. It is to be the 
scene of a slaughter incomparably greater than any 
in the past. 

10. After Jesus had hung on the cross during the 
three hours of darkness that enveloped the land, he 
cried with a loud voice, ^^It is finished!^' An earth- 
quake shook the land as he bowed his head and gave 
up his spirit, tearing the veil of the temple in two, 
rending rocks and opening tombs. But when the voice 
of the Almighty, speaking from the throne in the Holy 
of Holies says ^^It is done!^' there wdll be ligliinings 
and voices, and tTiitnders and a great earthquake, such 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-FOUR 351 

as man never yet has witnessed. Jerusalem will be 
split into three parts. The Mount of Olives will be 
thrown half to the north and half to the south, and 
waters break out in rivers flowing east and west. 
(^Zech. 14 :l-8.) The cities of the confederated nations 
will fall in ruins; and Babylon be destroyed, never 
again to be inhabited. Probably the whole earth will 
feel the tremor; islands sinking and mountains being 
leveled. 

11. This great earthquake is followed by a hailstorm 
even more terrible. The inhabitants of the land, with 
their cities in ruins, will be exposed to the crashing 
of hailstones of 100 pounds weight. This plague is 
^* exceeding great.' ^ It is a wonder that any survive 
it. But some do live through all these terrors, only 
to blaspheme God because of them. They repented 
not. 

In Egypt ^^Moses stretched forth his rod toward 
heaven: and Jehovah sent thunder and hail, and fire 
ran down unto the earth'' — such a storm as Egypt 
had never seen ^' since it became a nation." (Ex. 
9 :24.) Trees were broken down, vegetation destroyed, 
and all men and animals exposed to it were killed. 
*^Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of 
Israel were, was there no hail.'' Isaiah, writing of 
this time (30:27, 28), says: ''Behold, the name of 
Jehovah cometh from far, burning with his anger, and 
in thick rising smoke ... to sift the nations with the 
sieve of destruction. . . . And Jehovah will cause his 
glorious voice to be heard . . . and the flame of a de- 
vouring flre, with a blast, and tempest, and hail- 
stones," Isa. 2:19, 21 twice mentions the time when 



352 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Jehovah ^ ' ariseth to shake mightily the earth. ' ' Haggai 
2:6, 7 says: '^Yet once, and I will shake the heavens, 
and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I 
will shake all nations. ' ' 



LESSON FORTY-FIVE 

The Great Harlot 

Babylon the great, depicted as a woman 
gorgeously attired and adorned, the 
mother of the harlots and abomina- 
tions of the earth, supported by the 
beast. Her drunkenness. Her seduc- 
tion of kings, her judgment and final 
desolation. 

Babylon hath been a golden cup in Jehovah's hand^ 
that made all the earth drunken: the nations have 
drunk of her wine ; therefore are the nations mad. 
Babylon is suddenly destroyed. (Jer. 51:7, 8.) 

Home readings: Isa. Chap. 13 and 47* 

Class reading: Rev. Chap. 17. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What invitation and promise, from 
whom, and to whom, is related in Rev. 
17:1? 

353 



354 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. What is said of the kings and peoples of 
the earth? V. 2. 

3. How, and where was John carried, and 
what did he see? V. 3. Isa. 14:17. 

4. How was the woman arrayed and 
decked, and what was in her hand ? V. 
4. 

5. What was written on her forehead ? Y. 
5. 

6. Was she made drunken by the same 
means as those in V. 2 ? V. 6a. 

7. How was John affected by this sight? 
y. 6b. 

8. What did the angel promise to do ? V. 
7. 

9. In what four conditions is the beast de- 
scribed? Vs. 8a; lib. 

10. Who shall wonder (and who shall not), 
when, and why ? V. 8b. 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-FIVE 355 

11. "What is the hidden meaning of the 
seven heads ? Vs. 9^ 10a. 

12. Are these kings contemporary, or suc- 
cessive? Vs. 10b, c. 

13. How is the beast counted before and 
after resurrection? V. 11a. 

14. When, and how long, do the ten kings 
reign? V. 12. 

15. What are they unanimous in doing ? V. 
13. 

16. What will these kings, with the beast, 
do ; with what result, and why ? V. 14a. 

17. Who will be with the Lamb in this ? V. 
14b. 

18. What is the explanation of the ^^ waters'' 
of V. 1? V. 15. (Comp. Jer. 51:12, 
13.) 

19. How will these kings finally regard the 
harlot, and what will they do to her ? V. 
16. (Comp. Jer. 5:29, 30.) 



356 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

20. How is their attitude so changed toward 
her? V. 17. 

21. Who is tliis woman? V. 18. 



NOTES 

1. Israel was under covenant relations to Jehovah, 
Leing obligated by most solemn vows and ceremonies 
to obey and worship Him. It was like a marriage 
vow, and was so characterized by Jehovah, who called 
himself her husband, provided a home for her, and 
protected, fostered and cared for her. He clothed her 
with the sun. Sometimes Jerusalem is called ^^the 
woman," since all her interests are centered in that 
city — as Paris is France, and Rome is Italy. So the 
("hurch is the bride of Christ. She is sealed to Him by 
the Spirit in the rite of Baptism. He has provided a 
home for her, which, as she will be forever identified 
with it, is also called the bride, the New Jerusalem 
being ^^ adorned as a bride for her husband." In 
contrast with these is the woman of Rev. 17. She is 
sealed with the mark of the beast, and is obligated to 
him, and supported by him, not as a wife, but as a 
harlot. She is pledged to his service and worship, and 
to Satan, whom he represents as his vice-regent. 
Since her interests are finally headed up in the city of 
Babylon the great, she is called Babylon. She repre- 
.sents all who finally yield themselves to Satan. A 
place is prepared for him, and she is to make her 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-FIVE 357 

future home with him, and with other fallen angels. 

2. This woman is first represented as sitting upon 
onany waters — not all waters. These waters are in- 
terpreted to mean peoples, multitudes, nations and 
tongues. These are the peoples who finally compose 
the kingdom of the beast, upon which John saw the 
woman sitting. In Verse 9 she is said to sit on the 
seven heads of the beast. These are said to be seven 
kings — or seven successive great royal powers. Dr. 
Seiss says: ''What regal mountain, then, was in power 
at the time John wrote? ... it was the Roman em- 
pire. . . . Preceding Rome, the world had but five 
great names or nationalities. . . . They are Greece, 
Persia, Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt; no more, and 
no less. And these all were imperial powers like 
Rome. Here, then, are six of these regal mountains ; 
the seventh is not yet come. When it comes, it is to 
endure but a short time." If, then, this woman sits 
upon all these empires, she embodies all forms of devil 
worship, whether in evidence as idolatry, Moham- 
medanism, or any other false religion, pagan or 
Christian in name. 

3. This woman, in lier final form, is evidently to be 
particularly anti-Christian. She is to be subject to 
Antichrist. In the Outlook of Jan. 23, 1918, is an 
article on ^^Nietzsche's Religion," in which it is shown 
that, according to Nietzsche, the object of life is the 
creation of the ^^ Superman" — his ideal of what man 
is to become as the product of evolution. In contrast 
to this coming Superman, he holds up the Christian 
as ^'the social animal, the sick animal, in a word, the 
Christian." We must cease endeavoring to preserve 



358 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

the sick and the feeble. Our duty to them is to help 
litem to pass away (See Lesson 13). This royally at- 
tired woman, in 18 :7, says : ^'I sit a queen, and am no 
widow. ^' But in Isaiah it is said of her who says: '^I 
shall not sit as a widow/' that loss of children and 
widowhood shall both come in a moment, in one day. 
Her place as queen is to be taken by the Bride of 
Christ. 

4. Dr. Bullinger shows that the word ^'mystery" 
means a secret sign or symbol ; and that, as he thinks, 
it was not a part of the name on her forehead, but 
that the woman w^as the symbol of the city, as the name 
on her forehead, Babylon the Great, further indicates, 
and that the w^ords following, ^'the mother of harlots 
and of the abominations of the earth," are descriptive 
and not a part of the name. ^^The name was the 
name, not of a w^oman, but of a city, ' that great city, ' 
even Babylon. But it signified not merely the ma- 
terial city as such, but the vast system of idolatry 
connected with it . . . the mother, or fountain-head 
of all the systems of idolatry which have since flooded 
the earth from that one great source; . . . Babylon 
was the fountain-head of all idolatry." 

5. Dr. Seiss says of ^^the wdne of her fornication," 
that it ^Svas already bottled and labelled before the 
first dispersion. (Gen. 11.) It went with that dis- 
persion into every country and nation under heaven. 
As a matter of fact, we find it to this day among all the 
nations of the earth ; affecting, if not controlling, their 
thinking, their politics, their faith, and their worship. 
Not less than two-thirds of the population of the earth 
at this hour are Pagan idolators, drivelling under the 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-FIVE 359 

same old intoxication which came forth from Nimrod 
and Babylon ; while the great body of the other third 
is either Mohammedan, Jewish, Infidel, or adherents 
of some tainted and anti-Christian faith and worship. 
. . . The cup held out is golden. To the sensual and 
carnal heart and imagination, the world's religion and 
progress is something bright and glorious, the glitter- 
ing fulness of good and blessing. But in that shining 
cup is only abomination and uncleanness — spiritual 
I)rostitution — nothing but spiritual prostitution. ' ' Dr. 
Bullinger says: ^'Fornication is everywhere in the 
Bible the common term used for the sin of idolatry, 
not only because it is unfaithfulness to God in for- 
saking Him, the true God, for the worship of false 
gods ; but it literally formed an essential part of all 
heathen idolatry.'' 

6. The woman was drunken also, not with the 
'Svine" of Y. 2, but with the Mood of the saints. If 
she can intoxicate men with her wine, they will furnish 
her with plenty of blood. It has always been so, and 
'^ Nietzsche 's religion" has been doing the same thing 
on a vaster scale than ever before. That this woman 
is a ''composite" of all the persecutors of God's 
people is evident from 16 :6, where those who had 
poured out the blood of saints and prophets were 
given blood to drink; and 18:25, ^Hn her teas found 
the Mood of prophets and of saints, and of all that 
have been slain upon the earth." If there had been 
no false religions, there would have been no massacres 
and no wars. 

7. ' ' God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to 
perform." It is paradoxical that the beast with the 



360 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

ten horns — which are first seen carrying or support- 
ing this harlot, living wantonly with her — ^should turn 
against her, make her desolate and naked, eat her 
flesh and burn her utterly with fire. But V. 17 tells 
us that God puts it into their hearts to do His mind — 
not knowingly on their part — for they are his enemies. 
Possibly this harlot develops into a despotic power 
^Svhich reigneth over the kings of the earth'' (V. 18), 
against which the kings revolt : or it may be that the 
kings of Vs. 2 and 18 :9 are other kings, not of the 
beast empire; but God's purposes are accomplished. 
As we shall see in our next lesson, not only is this 
harlot as an antichristian system destroyed, but the 
literal city of Babylon is destroyed also, *^ making deso- 
late," of V. 16 indicates the looting and carrying away 
of the riches of the city, making it ^^ naked" before 
burning it with fire — literal fire. 

8. Five hundred miles east of Jerusalem, across the 
Arabian desert, and 60 miles south of Babylon, is 
Nedjef, the holy city of Shia Mohammedans. A visit 
to this sacred city is described in The National Geo- 
graphic Magazine of Dec, 1914, by Frederick Simpich. 
The character of a false religion and its identification 
with a city as its head are well illustrated in it. This 
city was built by religious fanatics on the spot where 
a nephew of Mohammed was slain. ''Nedjef is a freak 
city. Not a green thing — a plant, shrub, or tree — 
lives within its dry, hot limits. . . . One of the strange 
features of this strange city is its cellars. In summer 
the fierce heat drives the panting people deep 
down into the earth, like rats in a hole. Beneath every 
house is a cellar, burrowed mine-like to amazing 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-FIVE 361 

depths; one I explored reached an astoundingly low 
level, being more than 100 feet below the street. Down 
into these damp, dark holes the Shias flee when the 
scorching desert air sizzles above and imported Ger- 
man thermometers stand at 130 Fahrenheit. ... I 
was told that many of these serdabs are connected by 
means of underground corridors, and that criminals, 
W'ho swarm in Nedjef, easily elude capture by passing 
through these tunnels. ... It is estimated that over 
25,000,000 Moslems have made the pilgrimage to this 
mysterious desert city of golden domes, fabulous 
treasures, and weird rites. Thousands of devotees 
from Shia, hordes of India, Persia and South Russia, 
flock through Bagdad every year, bringing with them 
their mummified dead — salted and dried — for burial 
in the holy ground about the mystic city. By camel 
caravan and winding m.ule-train the patient pilgrims 
make the long march; many from distant Turkestan 
are a whole year making the round trip . . . badly 
cured bodies or bones are often smuggled in from 
Persia, and on a hot day, the wise traveller will stay 
at a discreet distance from these death caravans.'' 
More human bodies are believed to be buried about 
Nedjef than in any other place on earth. A colony 
of women live near the gold-covered mosque, who are 
married many times a year to pilgrims, by a priest, 
for a fee, with whom they live during their stay. 
What fearful intoxication! No wonder there will be 
hallelujahs in heaven when Babylon falls ! 

9. A final analysis shows that this ^^ woman," like 
all typical women of the Bible, really represents the 
inhabitants of Babylon in their wealth and wickedness. 



362 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

She is a wonderful composite of people of all nationali- 
ties, with a composite religion equally wonderful and 
wicked. Ill gotten gains from all lands will enable her 
to live in great luxury. A system of religion could 
not suffer. It is the people who will suffer. The re- 
ligious system will perish only when the people who 
uphold it perish. ^^The woman , , , is the great 
city.'' 



LESSON FORTY-SIX 

Babylox the Great 

A glorious Angel, and Ms cry. The call of 
God to Ms people in Babylon. Judg- 
ments according to deserts; death, 
mourning, famine, burned with fire. 
Mourners. Babylon 's merchandise, 
and shipping. Rejoicing of heaven, 
saints, apostles, prophets. Destruction 
complete and eternal. 

virgin daughter of Babylon; . . . these two 
things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the 
loss of children, and widowhood ; in their full measure 
shall they come upon thee. (Isa.) 

Home readings: Jer. Chap. 50, 51. 

Class reading: Rev. Chap. 18. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What is said of the angel of Rev. 18 :1 ? 
(See Isa. 48:14b.) 

363 



364 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. How, and what did he cry and why ? Vs. 
2, 3. (Comp. 14:8; 16:19; Jer.' 50:38; 
51:7; Isa. 21:9.) 

3. "Whose voice speaks in V. 4 and 5, and 
what is said, and why I (Comp. Jer. 50 : 
8-10;51:6, 9, 45;Isa. 48:20.) 

4. How is she to be judged, and why? Vs. 
6-8. (Comp. Isa. 47:8-10.) 

5. Who shall weep and wail over her, and 
why? Vs. 9, 10. 

6. Who shall mourn over her, and why? 
Vs. 11, 15. 

7. In how short a time is she made deso- 
late? Vs. 10, 17, 19. (Comp. Isa. 47:9, 
11.) 

8. How will mariners be affected ? Vs. 17- 
19. (Comp. Isa. 47:15.) 

9. How had she said she sat, and was not, 
and should not see ? V. 7b. (Comp. Isa. 

47:8.) 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-SIX 365 

10. What kind of people would buy the mer- 
chandise of Ys. 12-14? (Comp. 17:4a, 
18:16b.) 

11. What are the last two items in this list ? 
V.13. 

12. Who are called upon to rejoice in V. 20, 
and why ? (Comp. Isa. 14 :7, 8.) 

13. What did a strong angel do and say ? V. 
21. 

14. ^Yhat was Seraiah commanded to do ac- 
cording to Jer. 51 :61-64 ? 

15. What shall be ^^no more at all''? Eev. 
18:21,22,23. 

16. What does Isa. 13:19, 20 say of it? 
(Comp. Jer. 50:40.) 

17. What shall be there? Isa. 13:21, 22; 
Rev. 19 :2. (Comp. Isa. 34 :5-15.) 

18. How many times in Rev. 17 and 18 is 
the woman and Babylon identified as a 
city ? 



366 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

19. Do not the O. T. references seem to refer 
to this same city ? 

20. Why will God so jjunish this city ? 



NOTES 

1. Next to Jerusalem, no other city is mentioned so 
often in the Bible as Babylon — it occurs over 300 
times. When Nebuchadnezzar proudly exclaimed. ^ ' Is 
not this great Babylon, which I have built?" he im- 
mediately became insane ; and his madness continued 
until he was ready to Avorship Jehovah and acknowl- 
edge Him as supreme ruler. But the coming "Baby- 
lon the great," in her madness, will refuse to acknowl- 
edge Jehovah as Supreme Ruler, and will be totally 
destroyed. "While the "king of Babylon" of Isa. 14: 
4-20 is thought my many to typify Satan, he equally 
well, or better qualifies as the Antichrist, a real king. 
Passages in this lesson seem to indicate that Babylon 
will be his royal city, "which reigneth over the kings 
of the earth." While other passages seem to indicate 
that Antichrist will rise in Syria, and that he may re- 
move his capital to the new city of Babylon. It will 
be a city like him in character. Naturally, the fall of 
the capital city of the Antichrist would leave him 
without a throne. It is perhaps at this time that 
Antichrist will rush his armies across the dry bed of 
the Euphrates and on to the attack upon Jerusalem, 
where they will be destroyed — a revolt of Babylon 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-SIX 367 

against the ten kingdom power, resulting in its own 
utter destruction, this to be followed by an attack upon 
the Lamb, in possession of Mount Zion, resulting in 
the capture of the Beast and False Prophet, and the 
total destruction of their armies, leaving the Lamb in 
possession, as King of kings and Lord of lords. 

2. Both the 16th and 23d chapters of Ezekiel pic- 
ture Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, as a liarlot 
(idolater). ^^ Wherefore, harlot, hear the word of 
Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Because thy 
filthiness was poured out, . . . and because of all the 
idols of thy abominations, and for the blood of thy 
children that thou didst give unto them; therefore 
behold, I will gather all thy lovers . . . with all them 
that thou hast hated; . . . and they shall strip thee 
of thy clothes, and take thy fair jewels ; and they shall 
leave thee naked and bare. . . . And they shall burn 
thy houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee 
in the sight of many women ; and I will cause thee to 
cease from playing the harlot.'' (16 -.35-41.) ''These 
things shall be done unto thee, for that thou hast 
played the harlot after the nations and because thou 
art polluted with their idols. . . . Thou shalt be filled 
with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of aston- 
ishment and desolation.'' (23 :30-33.) Stript of her 
jewels and clothing, left naked and bare, desolate and 
burned with fire — the very same things said of Jeru- 
salem as of Babylon. And if Jerusalem was literally 
pillaged and plundered, made bare and desolate, and 
burned with fire, is not this the Bible 's own interpreta- 
tion of these predictions of what shall befall a mightier 
Babylon — a greater harlot ? 



368 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

3. Seven times in these chapters Babylon is called 
a ''great city," and once ''that mighty city/' "We 
cannot so tamper with God's word as to say that it is 
anything but a city, or that it is any other city than 
Babylon. No one questions that those wonderful 0. 
T. prophecies included in this lesson refer to the real 
city of Babylon. Yet because the old city of Babylon 
h now in heaps and inhabited by wild animals, it has 
been inferred that these 0. T. prophecies were already 
fulfilled. There are too many unfulfilled specifications 
to make this conclusion accceptable. Among the pas- 
sages quoted in this lesson are such statements as 
"Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed, . . . O 
thou that dwellest upon many tvaters, , . . thine end 
is come." "And I will punish the world for their 
evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. Therefore 
will I make the heavens to trembley and the earth shall 
be shaken out of its place, . . . and Babylon . . • 
shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorralt, 
It shall 7iever ie inhahitedy neither shall it be dwelt 
in from generation to generation. ' ' 

4. Babylon has never yet been suddenly destroyed 
' ' as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. ' ' Dr, 
Seiss says : " In the time of the apostles it was still a 
populous place, for both Peter and Bartholomew 
preached the gospel there, and there Peter wrote his 
first epistle. As late as a.d. 250, there was a Christian 
church there, and an influential bishopric for many 
years thereafter. Five hundred years after Christ, 
there were Jewish academies there, who issued the cele- 
brated Babylonian Talmud. . . . And even to this 
present hour there is a city in the middle of the area 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-SIX 369 

occupied by Old Babylon, containing 10,000 people, 
and which pays to its governor a revenue of 342,000 
Turkish piasters, more than $17,000 a year. Shepherds 
make their folds there, as testified by all modern 
travellers, the Arabians do pitch their tents there. It 
is not an utter desolation, without inhabitant, and 
never has been since Nimrod laid its first foundatioxis. 
The sentence upon Babylon is therefore not yet ful- 
filled, and cannot be unless that city comes up again 
into something of its former consequence/' 

5. The fifth chapter of Zechariah describes a vision, 
in which the prophet saw a large measure, an ephah, 
into which the angel that talked with him thrust a 
W'Oman, saying, ^^This is ivickedness.'^ He then 
covered the ephah with a 100 pound lid of lead. Then 
two women, having wings like a stork, flew away with 
the ephah. Zechariah asked whither they were carry- 
ing it, and was told, ^^To build her a house in the land 
of Shinar: and when it is prepared^ she shall he set 
there in her own place/ ^ It was in the land of Shinar 
that Nimrod built Babylon. This land has attracted 
more attention in recent years, previous to the great 
war, than perhaps any other section of the globe, as a 
region for development. An immense irrigation sys- 
tem was under construction, to reclaim great areas of 
that rich soil. The Bagdad railway, to connect 
Constantinople with the Persian Gulf, was well under 
way before the war, and has since been pushed more 
rapidly, as a war measure, to the Euphrates river, or 
beyond. It is to pass through Babylon, which will very 
likely be then rebuilt as a great commercial center, in 
which it is almost peerless for location. Immense 



370 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

quantities of excellent brick, bearing Nebuchadnez- 
zar's name, are at hand in the heaps of ruins, espe- 
cially of the great wall and the tower of Babel, which 
would go far toward rebuilding the city. 

6. ^^Come forth, my people, out of her,'' has been 
used over and over by advocates of new ^^isms" to in- 
duce members of certain churches to ^^flee out'' of 
them and join their new sect. But the call of that 
voice is to Israel, to come out of Babylon. Several pas- 
sages in the 0. T. (See Question 3), voice this same 
warning. ^ ^ Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and go 
forth out of the land of the Chaldeans." ^'Flee out 
of the midst of Babylon, and save every man his life ; 
be not cut off in her iniquity: for it is the time of 
Jehovah's vengeance; . . . forsake her, and let us go 
every man to his own country." ^^My people, go ye 
out of the midst of her, and save yourselves every man 
from the fierce anger of Jehovah. " ^ ^ Go ye forth from 
Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans; ivith a voice of 
singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of 
the earth: say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant 
Jacob/' ^^The voice of them that flee and escape out 
of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion (the Jeivish 
citadel) the vengeance of Jehovah our God, the 
vengeance of his temple. ' ' 

7. This call to come out of Babylon is to ^^my 
people." This cannot mean the saints of Christ. It 
is a call to Israelites. No one need be told that such a 
city as Babylon the great, with its immense traffic, will 
attract large numbers of Jews. Bagdad had 40,000 
Jews before the war. According to that learned 
Jewish traveler. Dr. Rosenberry, popularly known as 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-SIX 371 

*^Wad el AVard/' thirty years ago, the so-called ''ten 
lost tribes" were not lost, but were still living in the 
same region to which they were carried captive — that 
he had conversed with many of them who could tell 
to what tribe they belonged. As we shall see in a 
future lesson, special mention is made in the 0. T. 
prophecies of those who shall yet return to Palestine 
from that region. It is very evident, then, that there 
will be need for the call, so often repeated in both 
Testaments, ''Come out of her, my people." 

8. "We must not overlook the mighty significance of 
the destruction of Babylon. "We cannot account for 
the great prominence given to it in prophecy unless 
we see in it the final downfall of Satan's reign on 
earth. To the "Wicked one," the "Man of sin," the 
Antichrist, Satan finally transfers his rule on earth, 
as he once offered to Jesus to do. It is a woman called 
"Wickedness" whom Zechariah saw carried to the 
land of Shinar, "to build her a house ... in her own 
place/' And when that house falls, that "wicked 
one," and that wicked "woman," fall with it; and 
Satan's authority^ vested in the beast, is gone. In a 
desperate death struggle he attacks the citadel of the 
Lamb, in Zion, only to be taken, and his great army 
slain. 

9. ^^ Rejoice over her, tlioii heaven, and ye saints , 
and ye apostles, an^ ye prophets; for God hath 
judged your judgment on her." This call to rejoice 
is answered by the voice of the great multitude in 
heaven, of 19:1, 2, with its two hallelujahs, with an 
"Amen, Hallelujah" by the 24 elders and four living 
creatures. A call from the throne to the servants of 



372 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

God to praise God, is responded to by the great multi- 
tude on earth — the ''many waters/' or people of the 
righteous nations, with another '' Hallelujah. '^ These 
are the only ^^liallelujahs'^ in the New Testament. 
This is a Hebrew expression, often used in the Psalms, 
meaning ''Praise Jah.'' Jer. 51:48 says: "Then the 
heavens and the earth, and all that is therein, shall 
sing for joy over Babylon. ' ' 

10. In Zech. 5 :8, 9, the woman of whom it is said 
"This is wickedness," is forcibly imprisoned and de- 
ported to the land of Shinar where a house is built for 
her. This "woman" is evidently the "woman" of 
Rev. 17, and suggests, as some regard the passage, the 
gathering out of the wicked from among the righteous 
nations, forcibly — the segregation of them into the 
furnace, Babylon, to suffer its torments. The wind 
in the wings of the woman who carry the vessel sug- 
gests the rapidity with which this transportation is 
to be accomplished; and since the vessel is lifted to 
mid-air, air-craft seems to be indicated, rather thari 
sea-craft. Possibly both may be employed. 



LESSON FORTY-SEVEN 

King of Kixgs axd Lord of Lords 

The hallelujahs. The marriage of the Lamb. 
The true words of God. The white horse 
and he that sat thereon, and his fol- 
lowers. The winepress. The name writ- 
ten. The great supper of God: the 
guests, and the menu. The prisoners 
and the disposal of them. 

But the judgment shall be set, and they shall take 
away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto 
the end. (Daniel.) 

And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and 
a kingdom . . . which shall not be destroyed. 
(Daniel.) 

Home readings: Psa. 45 and 46; Eze. 39:17- 
29; Isa. 29:1-8; Zech. 12:1-14; 14:1-15 

Class reading: Rev. 19:1-21; 20:1-3 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. How many sayings, and how many halle- 
lujahs are in Rev. 19 :l-8 ? 

373 



374 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. What marriage is come, and what pre- 
parations are made? Vs. 7, 8. (Comp.* 
2 Cor. 11:2.) 

3. Who besides the bride are ^^ blessed/' 
and who says so ? 

4. What did the angel tell John not to do, 
and what to do ? V. 10. 

5. Who was he, what testimony did he hold, 
and why? V. 10. 

6. Who was seen and what does he do ? Vs. 
11, 13b. 

7. What was he given, and what was he to 
do, according to 6 :2 ? 

8. What has he on his head, and what on 
his garments in 19 :12, 13a ? 

9. Who compose the armies that follow 
him? y. 14. (Comp. V. 8.) 

10. With what will he smite the nations, and 
with what will he rule them ? V. 15a, b. 
(Comp. 1:16b; 12:5.) 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-SEVEN 375 

11. What does he tread? Y. 15c; 14:20. 
Isa. 63:1-6. (Comp. Lam. 1:15.) 

12. What is on his garment and thigh? V. 
16. (Comp. 1 Tim. 6:15.) 

13. AVhat great supper is announced in v. 17, 
and who are invited? 

14. What is the menu? V. 18; Eze. 39: 
17-20. 

15. Who were taken, where cast, and in what 
condition? Vs. 19,20. 

16. What was done with the rest, and by 
what means? Y. 21a. (Comp. Isa. 11: 
4; 27:1; 31:4.) 

17. What became of their flesh? Y. 21b. 

18. What two things did the angel of 20:1 
have? (Comp. 9:1.) 

19. What did he proceed to do, and why ? 
Ys. 2, 3. 

20. What must be done after the 1000 years 
are finished? 



376 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

NOTES 

1. When the fifth seal was opened (Rev. 6:9), ''the 
souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, 
and for the testimony which they held, ' ^ asked ' ' How 
long, . . . dost thou not judge and avenge our blood 
on them that dwell on the earth T' In 19:1, 2, the 
great multitude in heaven say that God has now 
judged the great harlot, ''and he hath avenged the 
blood of his servants at her hand. And a second time 
they say Hallelujah.'' This seems to be the same com- 
pany, in part, at least, as those who were under the 
altar, but who are now resurrected and in heaven; 
since they were the ones who asked for this judgment, 
and would be the first to rejoice over its accomplish- 
ment. All heaven and earth join in the hallelujahs. 

2. The call for this avenging upon "them that 
dwell on the earth," and its accomplishment on the 
great harlot, seems to identify the one with the other. 
' ' Them that dwell on the earth, ' ' or land, do not there- 
fore include the great multitude of every tribe and 
kindred and tongue, but only those of the ten-king- 
dom confederacy of the beast, which heads up in 
Babylon. It becomes more and more evident that the 
other nations are not directly involved in the judg- 
ment woes, and bowls of wrath. All nations are in- 
volved, more or less, in the great tribulation which 
precedes them, but not in Babylon's judgment. 

3. The cry for the avenging of their blood by the 
souls under the altar has been criticized by some as 
unchristian in spirit. But this is not a cry for revenge. 
To avenge is to vindicate the righteous by a just 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-SEVEN 377 

punishment of those who wronged them. There is no 
spirit of spite in it, as in revenge. To those who are 
in the enjoyment of resurrected life in heaven, there 
could be no joy in witnessing the torment of others. 
But the real cause of the hallelujahs is doubtless the 
knowledge of the fact that the destruction of this 
harlot city, and the armies of the wicked nations which 
had upheld her, forever rids the earth of idolatry and 
all its attendant evils, 

4. It would be impossible to gather all the people 
of the earth, or even all the armies of all lands within 
the narrow limits into which the ''kings of the earth" 
are to gather their armies about Jerusalem, where they 
are to be slain. Evidently the kings are the ''kings 
of the land/^ the ten kings under the Beast, who are 
to thus gather and be slain ; otherwise there would be 
no great multitude, the "many waters," to send back 
their response to heaven in another hallelujah. The 
righteous nations will rejoice with the saints in the 
riddance from the earth of these corrupting influences. 
They will then be ready to beat their swords into plow- 
shares, and their spears into pruning hooks, and enter 
upon an era of such peace and prosperity as the world 
has never yet seen. 

5. Note that the destruction of the harlot, who 
boasted that she sat as queen, is immediately followed 
by the announcement of the marriage of the Lamb, 
and that his wife had made herself ready. There is 
to be no delay in the succession of the bride to queen- 
ship, along with the accession of the Lamb to the 
throne. There never will be any really Christian 
nations until the bride of Christ reigns with Him ov^r 



378 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

the nations. Only then will the principles of Christ's 
Kingdom be universally accepted and impartial justice 
prevail. 

6. ^^Wlio is tlie Bride f Upon first blush the answer 
would be, the Lord's true and faithful people, all who 
by faith and obedience were affianced to him, and con- 
tinued faithful to the end. In a general way, this 
answer may be accepted as the truth ; but in a closer 
view of things it cannot be taken as strictly and 
absolutely correct. The 45th Psalm unmistakably 
refers to this subject. The qualities and doings of 
the King come forth from the ivory palaces are there 
described with great vigor and animation. But there 
is also the Queen, the King's bride, standing on his 
right hand, in gold of Ophir, and all glorious within. 
It is said of her that ^she shall be brought unto the 
King in raiment of needle-work.' Besides the King's 
Bride, there is a blessed company, who also ent:er with 
rejoicing into the King's palace, and share the light 
of his countenance. They are called Hhe virgins,' the 
^companions,' associates and bosom friends of the 
Queen, but plainly distinct from the Queen herself. 
. . . All of them are made forever happy in their 
Lord, the King. But the Queen is one class, and ^Ijie 
virgins, her companions that follow her,' are another 
class. The parable of the five unwise virgins, taken 
in its connections inevitably implies tliat not all of 
those who finally get to heaven are of that class which 
actually constitutes the Bride of Christ, however 
related to the Bride. It is also the common doctrine 
of the Scriptures that there are great diversities in 
the portions awarded to the saints. There are some 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-SEVEN 379 

'greatest' and some 'least' in the Kingdom of 
Heaven. There are some who shall be first and some 
who shall be last ; who get crowns, and some who get 
'none. There are some who are assigned dominion over 
ten cities, some over five, and some who miss all 
reward, and are saved only 'so as by fire.' " (Seiss.) 

7. We are not told where this marriage is to be, or 
what kind of ceremony is performed, or who are the 
guests. If it is to be in heaven, myriads of angels 
may be among the guests. If on earth, the righteous 
nations may be guests. But whoever or wherever, 
they are, we have the statement attested as ^^the true 
vjords of God/' that those who are bidden to this 
marriage supper are blessed. John was so moved by 
this statement that he fell down at the feet of the 
aiigel, to worship him, but was restrained and told to 
worship Grod : ' ' for the iesiimony of Jesus is the spirit 
of prophecy. ' ' 

8. The only feast described after the announcement 
of the marriage supper is ''the great supper of God'^ 
of verse 17. In the parable of the Kingdom, Matt. 
22 :1-14, a certain king made a marriage feast for his 
son. He had his fatlings killed, and sent out the 
invitations. May we not infer from this parable that 
God is to prepare the marriage supper for His Son, 
and invite the guests? But instead of oxen and fat- 
lings, the menu, given in detail, is "flesh of kings," 
etc. ; and the guests invited are birds. The angel who 
cries the invitation stands in the sun — the most con- 
spicuous place. "And all the birds w^ere filled with 
the flesh." 

9. God loves the birds. Not a sparrow falls to the 



380 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

ground without his notice. But men hav^ hunted 
and killed them, for gain and for sport. Probably 
this feast will mark the end of such wanton destruc- 
tion of bird life. He who said ' ' Consider the ravens. 
. . . God feedeth them/' will be here in person, and 
the birds and animals will certainly share in the bless- 
ings of the millennial age. ^'The wolf shall dwell 
with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the 
kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling 
together.'' But the birds will do more. They will 
fill the air with music, and rid gardens and orchards 
of the multiplied pests which are so destructive to 
fruits and vegetation, increased beyond control by the 
destruction of birds. If all birds were destroyed, 
insects and worms w^ould soon destroy all vegetation, 
and all men would perish. 

10. Chapter 16 :14 describes the gathering of the 
kings. They are gathered unto the war of the great 
day of God, the Almighty when Jesus comes ^^as a 
thief" upon them, and they are slain with the sword 
of his mouth. He does not come alone here, as he 
appeared in 6 :2, for now his armies, also on white 
horses, are with him. Now he has many diadems on 
his head, and his garments are sprinkled with the 
blood of many conquests. His armies correspond in 
attire with the bride of v. 8. No weapons are seen in 
their hands. He does all the fighting for his bride, 
and is bringing her into his redeemed realm, by his 
own all-conquering power, to take possession with him. 

11. The war is disastrous to the Jews living ixi 
Palestine. Half of Jerusalem is taken, many are cap- 
tured or slain. But suddenly the Lord comes upon 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-SEVEN 381 

their foes and they are slain. The Beast king and 
his false prophet are taken alive and cast into the lake 
of fire. The dragon, Satan, the devil, is imprisoned 
in the abyss. This ends his reign on earth, and the 
thrones of the incoming Kingdom of Christ are 
speedily set up, as we shall see in our next lesson. 



CoNCLrsiONs OF Part Four 

As previously stated, the conclusions 
reached in these lessons are not in perfect 
harmony with other books on Reyelation. 
Indeed, no two books of the large number 
written on Reyelation Imrmonize perfectly 
with each other. A brief summary of con- 
clusions follows : 

a. First, after the, letters to the churches, 
is the scene in heayen when the Lion of the 
tribe of Judah preyails to possess the certifi- 
cate of redemption, the title to the realm of 
the earth. With the opening of its first seal, 
the Conqueror is seen coming forth to claim 
his acquired right, by conquest and ejection 
of Satan, now in possession. 

&. This conquest begins when the second 
seal is opened, which is followed in succes- 
sion by the third and fourth seals, bringing 



382 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

the terrible conflict predicted in Jer. 25 :15- 
38, and which is indicated in the Olivet dis- 
course as the sig7i for which his disciples 
asked — a time of gi^eat trihulation. The 
remaining signs given correspond to the 
opening of the sixth seal, the last sign being 
the Son of man coming on the clouds in 
power and great glory, causing men to call 
on the rocks and mountains to fall on them 
and hide them ^^from the face of him that 
sitteth on the throne^ ^ ; and immediately the 
announcement is made that the great day is 
come. The ^^day'' is ushered in, therefore, 
by the appearance of the Son of man in the 
sky, in power and great glory, sitting on his 
throne. 

c. This is the time, according to Mt. 25 :31, 
when the separation of the ^' sheep'' and 
'^goaf nations takes place, corresponding 
to the sealings of Rev. 7, and resulting in the 
segregation of the ^^ goats'' into the territory 
of the ^^ Beast" king, the 10-kingdom con- 
federacy — and the ^^ sheep" into other ter- 
ritory. These latter, the great multitude 
which no man can number, and which come 
out of the great tribulation — the great tribu- 
lation now on the earth — are exempt from 
the hunger, thirst, sunstroke and burning 



LESSON NUMBER FOKTY-SEVEN 383 

heat which are to come upon the kingdonrof 
the Beast ; also the darkness (16 :10), and all 
the woes that follow, unless individuals go 
over to the beast king and are branded witb 
his mark. The Lamb that is in the midst of 
the throne shall be the Shepherd of these 
^ ^ sheep '^ and guide them to the fountains of 
waters of life, resulting, doubtless, in the 
spiritual salvation of vast numbers of them. 
This will probably be in progress while the 
woes are falling on the ^^ goats.'' 

d. In this time of segregation, the Jews 
will gather in large numbers in Palestine, 
rebuild the temple and restore the temple 
worship and sacrifice. Wickedness will also 
loom up in the building of Babylon, before 
the plagues begin (chap. 8) . The remaining 
chapters, to 19 :21, have to do with the king- 
dom of the Beast only^ except in the inciden- 
tal mention of sheep and the dead, and the 
time when they, the prophets, saints and all 
who fear Grod's name, are judged and 
rewarded, which, according to other scrip- 
tures, occurs at the time of the first resurrec- 
tion, and ^^ catching away.'' This is after the 
the sounding of the seventh trumpet — the 
last trumpet. The Lord's throne is still in 
the clouds ; and it is into the clouds that they 



384 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

are caught up, and before this throne the 
saints are judged and rewarded. It is this 
company that ^'tabernacle'' in heaven (the 
air), and descend on the white horses of 19: 
14, and for whom thrones are set in 20 :4. 



. PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Part Five 

Lessons 48-50 

The Millennial Age. Thrones set, and the 
judgeship of the saints. The millennial 
Jerusalem, and new Temple. The 
tribal re-division of Palestine. Phys- 
ical and climatic changes. 

a. The lessons of this part are taken 
mostly from the O. T. The N. T. has little 
to say of this period, since it was so fully 
covered in O. T. prophecies. If for no other 
reason, the O. T. Scriptures are worthy of 
our careful study, for what is revealed in 
them concerning the coming Millennial age. 

&. That the world, within the memory of 
mm now living, has been passing through a 
greater economic revolution than ever be- 
fore in the history of mankind, is self-evi- 
dent. We have seen the transition from the 
ox-cart to the railroad train, and on to the 

385 



386 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

automobile; from sail-driven sea craft to 
steam and gas-driven monsters of steel, 
afloat upon and under the surface of the 
great deep; from the toy kite to the air- 
plane; from the horse-drawn walking plow 
to the tractor-gang ; from the village shop to 
the great manufacturing establishment ; 
from hill-top signals to ^^ wireless'': and the 
list might be indefinitely extended through 
all lines that affect human industries and in- 
terests. 

c. The climax of all these economic 
changes seems to have been reached in the 
recent world carnage, in which every avail- 
able invention and device of man was con- 
scripted and made to add terror to warfare, 
and aid in the destruction of our f ellowman 
and his works. To all who have eyes to see 
and ears to hear, it must be evident that 
God is moving as never before and bringing 
about these tremendous changes for some 
specific purpose. We have no means of 
knowing what his purpose is, except as He 
has revealed it in His Word. From this 
Word we learn that an age of peace and 
plenty, prosperity and blessedness, is to 
come after '^this present evil age,'' which is 
to end in disaster and judgment. 



THE MILLENNIAL AGE 387 

d. It is equally evident that all these 
economic changes must be preparing the 
world for the conditions which are to pre- 
vail in that age of blessing. People will 
never again return to conditions of savagery 
or crudity, but will enjoy all the benefits of 
scientific research and inventive genius, 
modes of conveyance, methods of communi- 
cation, hygienic living — everything for the 
betterment of living conditions, perfected 
and directed under the rule of the Prince of 
Peace. The lessons of Part Five are there- 
fore of exceeding interest, as they deal with 
this grand and glorious age. 



LESSON FORTY-EIGHT 

The Repentant Wife 

Her return to her former husband. Her 
mourning and weeping. Her re-ap- 
pearance before the altar, where she 
renews her broken vows. Her return 
to her former home, leaning upon her 
Beloved. 

Who is this that eometh up from the wilderness, 
leaning upon her beloved? (S. Song, 8:5.) 

And they that are escaped of the house of Jacob 
shall no more again lean upon him that smote him, 
but shall lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, 
in truth. (Isa.) 

Home readings: Deut. 30:1-10; Jer: 30:1- 

17; Eze. 20:33-38; 37:1-28; Isa. 

10:1-27; 12:1-6 

Class readings: Isa. 11:1-16; Jer. 31:1-14 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What had Jehovah once become to 
Israel, by a covenant, and how had she 

388 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-EIGHT 389 

treated him? Jer. 31:32; 3:20. (See 
lesson 12.) 



2. To what idolatrous degradation had she 
fallen? Eze. 16:15-19. 



3. What judgment was threatened? Vs. 
38-41. 

4. What bill had he then given her? Jer. 
3:8; Isa. 50:1. 

5. What did he then say of her ? Hos. 2 :2. 

6. What did Jehovah beg of her to do, and 
what will she finally do ? Jer. 3 :14 ; Hos, 
2 :7 ; Jer. 50 :4, 5. 

7. How will he treat her when she is ready 
to return ? Hos. 2 :14, 15a, 19, 20. 

8. How will she again become his, and how 
will this covenant differ from the first 
one ? Jer. 31 :31-33 ; 32 :38, 40 ; Isa. 59 : 
21; 61:8, 9; Eze. 16:60-63; 36:25-27; 
Deut. 30:1-6. 

9. What will she do? Hos. 2:15b, 16 
(Marg.). 



390 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

10. After this reunion in the wilderness^ 
how will they come to Zion? Isa. 40:1- 
5; 35:10; 10:20. 

11. How will Israel f are, and how will their 
return be celebrated ? Isa. 49 :10-13 ; 52 : 
8, 9 ; Zeph. 3 :14, 15 ; Zech. 2 :10. 

12. What does Jehovah say of this in Zech. 

8:3,7,8. 

13. From what countries will Israel be 
gathered the second time? Isa. 11: 
11, 12. 

14. How will passage across sea and river 
be provided ? V. 15. 

16. What will be provided for the remnant 
from Assyria ? Y. 16. 

17. Who will do these things? Isa. 51: 
9-11. 

18. Who will help Israel's sons to return? 
Isa. 49:22, 23; 60:4-9. 

19. What will he pour out upon them ? Eze. 
11 :17-20 ; 39 :25-29 ; Isa. 44 :3. 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-EIGHT 391 

20. What will be done with weapons of war ? 
Hos. 2:18; Isa. 2:4; Mic. 4:3. 



NOTES 

1. "While the re-gathering of Israel to Palestine 
begins before the end of this age — in fact, has already 
begun — it is so bound up with the future blessedness 
of the Chosen People, and their occupation of the 
old home-land during the Millennial Age, that it is 
included in Part five. The present movement can 
hardly be called the final return, for Israel is to first 
return unrepentant, probably become a recognized 
Jewish commonwealth and rebuild Jehovah's temple. 
Then foUow^s the final time of Jacob's trouble, out of 
which God will save his chosen remnant, to whom 
he gives the two wings of the great eagle, with w^hich 
she escapes into the desert, where she is nourished 
for 42 months, perhaps on manna. These can hardly 
be Christian Jews. They are more likely Israelites 
who hold to the 0. T. Jehovah and the Law of Moses. 
The remainder will pass through the time of trouble. 

2. It is quite generally conceded that Israel will 
first return to Palestine witJiout conversion to Christ. 
The Zionist movement is among unchristian Jews, 
mostly. Before the war, it was estimated that three 
times as many Jews had then returned to Jerusalem 
as returned under the edict of Cyrus ; and these were 
not Christians. Many of these fled from the country, 
or were killed in the war. Two chapters of ^^The 
Book of Nations,'' recently published by Button and 



392 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Co., are reprinted in ^'The Maccabean'^ (organ of 
the Federation of American Zionists), of Jan., 1918. 
The book is written in oriental style. It has this to 
say of the return of Israel to Palestine: *^Do you 
say: What, this rabble f The Lord will redeem Israel 
when all our people are righteous as ive. But I 
redeemed a rabble from Egypt, a rabble of slaves. 
And I shall redeem even you that deny me, even you 
that are slaves in a free land, along with my free 
people that shall freely come.'' It is only political 
freedom in their ow^n land that these people seek, and 
it is a political alliance that will bring them into 
trouble. 

3. There is such an abundance of 0. T. prophecy of 
Israel's final return to Palestine, that we can only 
make use of some of the more prominent passages. 
All the home readings of this lesson should be read 
carefully. Isa. 43:1-7 says, in part, ^^But now thus 
saith Jehovah that created thee, Jacob, and he that 
formed thee, Israel ; Fear not, for / have redeemed 
thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. 
. . . Since thou wast precious in my sight, and honor- 
able, and I have loved thee, therefore will I give men 
in thy stead, and peoples instead of thy life. Fear 
not ; for I am with thee ; I will bring thy seed from 
the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say 
to the north. Give up ; and to the south. Keep not 
back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters 
from the end of the earth; every one that is called 
by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, 
whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made." Jer. 
2:2, 3; ^^Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, say- 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-EIGHT 393 

ing, Thus saith Jehovah, I remember for thee the 
kindness of thy yoiitlij the love of thine espousals; 
Jiow tJioit went est after me in the ivilderness, in a land 
that was not sown. Israel was holiness (set apart) 
unto Jehovah, the first fruits of his increase ; all that 
devour him shall be held guilty; evil shall come upon 
them, saith Jehovah." 

^^But we may not interpret the bridegroom relation- 
ship of the Lord Jesus of Israel, but of the New 
Testament Church. That Israel is the earth-wife of 
Jehovah is clearly taught. But the New Testament 
speaks of the bride of Christ as a chaste virgin, and 
this a forgiven wife could never be." (Scofield.) 

4. The word ^^ remnant" occurs frequently in these 
passages. Jer. 23:3-8: ^^And I will gather the 
remnant of my flock out of all the countries whither 
I have driven them, and will bring them again to 
their folds and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 
And / will set up shepherds over them, who shall feed 
them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, 
neither shall any be lacking, saith Jehovah. . . . 
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that 
they shall no more say, As Jehovah liveth, who brought 
up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 
but. As Jehovah liveth, who brought up and who led 
the seed of the house of Israel out of the north 
country, and from all the countries whither I had 
driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land. ' ' 
Isa. 10 :20-23 ; ^^ And it shall come to pass in that day, 
that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped 
of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon 
him that smote them. ... A remnant shall return, 



394 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

the remnant of Jacoh unto the mighty God. For 
though thy people, Israel, be as the sand of the sea, 
only a remnant of them shall return/' 

5. These passages indicates something of the awful- 
ness of the time of Jacob's trouble. We cannot know 
the full details of that trouble now. "Whether all that 
are then in Palestine will escape into the wilderness, 
we cannot say. But there will doubtless be millions 
of Jews scattered throughout the nations of the Beast 
empire. It may be that the remnant will be gathered 
out of these nations only ; but there are so many pas- 
sages that indicate the taking' of Jerusalem with great 
slaughter and captivity, just before the Lord descends, 
that it is evident that there will be many Jews there. 
These may flock to Jerusalem from all lands for its 
defense, and only a remnant of them escape. 

6. There seems to be a later, and more general 
gathering of Israel from all lands, after the war of 
Armageddon is past, and the Lord sets his hand to 
gather them ^^a second time." Then the Beast king- 
dom will have perished and Israel's time of trouble is 
forever ended. Now Wio^ o^/ier nations, the nations 
that love righteousness, hasten to help the scattered 
Jews in their own countries with free transportation 
to Palestine. They also come with weeping to Zion, 
humbly confessing their sin as a nation in their rejec- 
tion of their own Messiah, whom they now gladly 
accept as their Lord and King. ^^Por Jehovah will 
have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, 
and set them in their own land: and the sojourner 
shall join himself . with them, and they shall cleave 
to the house of Jacob. And the peoples sTiaZZ take 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-EIGHT 395 

iJieyji and bring tliem to tlieir place/^ (Isa. 14:1, 2.) 
^^And they shall bring thy sons in their bosom, and 
thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. ' ' 
(49:22.) ''Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as 
the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall 
wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring 
thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with 
them, for the name of Jehovah thy God, and for the 
Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee." 
(60:8, 9.) ''And they shall bring all your brethren 
out of all the nations for an oblation unto Jehovah, 
upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon 
dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith 
Jehovah.'' (66:20.) 

7. Eev. W. B. Blackstone has an interesting chapter 
in "Jesus is Coming,'' on Zionism. Since he has per- 
haps done more than any other man outside of Israel 
to encourage the Jews in their efforts to regain 
Palestine, information from him in regard to Zionism 
is of special value, even though written 20 years ago. 
He says, in part : "Zionism is a modern term express- 
ing the national hopes and sentiments of the Jews. 
• . . As is well known the Jews have, in the past fifty 
years, become divided into three great sections, viz. : 
the orthodox, the status quo, and the reformed. The 
orthodox hold to the Old Testament Scriptures, as 
interpreted by the Talmud, as the literal Word of 
God, and also to the hopes and heritage of their 
ancestors founded thereon. They believe in the 
oft repeated utterances of the prophets, that some day 
they shall return to Palestine and become permanently 
settled as a holy and happy nation, under the 



396 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

sovereignty of their coming Messiah. These hopes are 
the very core of their intensely religious life, and are 
embedded in the most solemn devotions of their 
prayer-book.'' Then follow some of their prayers for 
restoration. Then, ' ^ In a few words, followers of the 
status quo are striving to reconcile the genius of 
Judaism with the requirements of modern times, and 
in Western Europe are in a great majority. The 
Eeformed Jews or Neologists have rapidly thrown 
away their faith in the inspiration of the Scriptures. 
They have flung to the wind all national and Messianic 
hopes. . . . Some have gone clear over into agnos- 
ticism. Strange to say, from these agnostics now 
comes the other wing of the Zionist party. And not 
only have they joined this party, but they furnish the 
leaders, . . . The orthodox Jews who have enlisted 
under the Zionist banner, are animated by the most 
devout religious motives. But the agnostics aver that 
this is not a religious movement at all. It is purely 
economic and nationalistic. ' ' It seems, therefore, that 
this movement attracts two very opposite classes of 
Jews to Palestine. Naturally the class that is loyal 
to the Grod of Israel, and is constantly praying for the 
restoration of His favor to Zion, will constitute the 
^Svoman," Israel, who will be given wings to fly into 
the wilderness, and renew her vows there. 

8. Micah, 7:15 says: ^'As in the days of thy coming 
forth out of the land of Egypt, will I show them 
marvellous things. The nations shall see and 6e 
ashamed of their might." Men are to march across 
sea and river beds dryshod, as before. The highway 
from Egypt into Assyria is already built. Germany 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-EIGHT 397 

pushed the Bagdad railway to Assyria as a war 
measure, with a branch down through Palestine to 
Beersheba. England built from Egypt to Beersheba, 
also as a war measure — and ^^the highway" is built. 
^^And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great 
trumpet shall be blown ; and they shall come that 
were lost in the land of Assyria, and they that were 
outcasts in the land of Egypt." (Isa. 27 :13.) 



LESSON FORTY-NINE 

Millennial Thrones 

The throne on Mount Moriah. The throne 
on Mount Zion. The twelve tribal 
thrones. Thrones of* righteousness. 
The Shekinah. The ^^ Branch'' and 
^^ Prince.'' The kings, judges and 
priests. 

Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and 
princes shall rule in justice. (Isa. 32:1.) 

He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill, to make 
them sit with princes, and inherit the thro'ne of glory. 
(1 Sam. 2:8.) 

If we endure, we shall also reign with him. (2 
Tim. 2:12.) 

Home readings: Deut. 16:18-17:20; 
Psa. 9; Psa. 89:1-37 

Class readings: Rev. 20:4-6; Jer. 30:18-24 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. In Dan. 7 :13, 14 what is said to be given 
to ^^one like unto a son of man''? 

398 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-NINE 399 

2. Who else are to receive the kingdom? 
Vs. 18, 27. 

3. What else is said to be given them in 

V. 22? 

4. What did John see in Rev. 20:4a, and 
what was given them ? 

5. What thrones are mentioned in Mt. 19 : 
28; Lu. 22:28-30, and who will sit on 
them? 

6. Who will be judged by them ? 

7. Does not Psa. 122:3-5 anticipate these 
thrones ? 

8. Who was Israel's first king (1 Sam. 12: 
12) ; and who will again reign over 
them? Mich. 4:6-8. 

9. Where was his earthly throne? Num. 
7:89; 1 Sam. 4:4. 

10. In EzekiePs vision of the Millennial 
Temple, where was the place of Je- 
hovah's throne ? Eze. 43 :5-7. 



400 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

11. According to Zecli. 6:12, 13a, \y1io will 
build this temple ? 

12. What more is said of him in v. 13 ? 

13. What does Jer. 23:5, 6 say of the 
^^Branch''? Also 33:15-17. 

14. What is he called, and what is said of 
his reign, in Isa. 9 :6, 7 ; 16 :5 ? 

15. Who are to rule with him? Isa. 32 :1^ 
2 Tim. 2 :12. 

16. Where, and how long shall the saints 
reign? Rev. 5:10; 20:4, 6. 

17. Who are to be judged by the saints? 1 
Cor. 6 :2, 3. 

18. Who were the O. T. judges, and where 
did they sit? Deut. 16:18; 21:19; 17: 
9,10. 

19. Do Mt. 19:28 and Lu. 19:17, 19 indicate 
extensive realms ? 

20. Are they not really judicial districts? 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-NINE 401 

NOTES 

1. The binding of Satan, and easting him into the 
Abyss, and shutting and sealing it over him, is the 
final act of punitive judgment before the 1000 years 
of peace. There will be no war on earth as long as 
Satan is kept from deceiving the nations. But even 
after 1000 years of the prosperity and happiness of a 
warless world, it will require only '^sl- little time'* 
after he is released from his prison for him to deceive 
the nations, even to the remotest corners of the earth, 
and gather an army like the sands of the sea, and 
head another revolt against the authority of Christ, 
and an effort to dethrone Him. How utterly futile 
is every effort of men to banish war from the earth", 
while Satan rules, and his deceptions are practiced 
unhindered, is demonstrated by the recent world carn- 
age. It was when men were saying ^^Peace and 
safety,'^ holding peace conferences, and proclaiming 
from pulpits that the world had becomie too highly 
civilized to engage in war, that civilization failed, and 
the world went mad. The Prince of Peace must reig^i 
before there can be permanent peace on earth, and 
good will among men. 

2. When Jesus finally descends to the earth with 
his saints, to smite the nations, it is not on his throne 
of glory f but on a ivhite horse that he comes. He takes 
the throne of David from which to rule, and the 
temple throne, as Jehovah, to receive homage and ^^be 
a priest upon his throne." The location of the temple 
of Jehovah was on Mount Moriah. The location of 
David's palace was on Mount Zion. The temple is for 



402 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

worship — the recognition of Jehovah as supreme, and 
the offering of homage; but ^'out of Zion shall go 
for the laiv/^ Keep these distinct. All nations shall 
come to Jerusalem to worship Jehovah in his holy 
temple. ^^All nations shall flow unto it." But it is 
upon the throne of David that He sits as judge, 
*^And he will judge between the nations, and decide 
concerning many peoples." Possibly these thrones 
will be merged into one, but more likely they will be 
distinct. 

3. In the 0. T. temple a glorious light shone out 
from between the cherubim on the cover of the golden 
ark, which was called ^^The Shekinah." It repre- 
sented the presence of God upon his earthly throne. 
In Num. 7:89 it is said that when Moses went into 
the tabernacle to speak with God, ^'then he heard the 
Voice speaking unto him . . . from hetween the two 
chenchim/^ Seven times it is said of Jehovah that 
he sat, or, literally, ^^is enthroned" between the 
cherubim. It is very likely that the Shekinah glory 
will return to His throne in the new temple, and that 
Jesus, as the claimant of David 's throne, will sit as 
Judge and Law-giver in Zion — since he is represented 
as one like unto a Son of Man, and ''David shall never 
want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of 
Israel." ''Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, 
and princes shall rule in justice. And a man shall 
be as a hiding-place." He is frequently called a 
Prince as well as a Priest. In Zech. 6:12, Jehovah 
speaks of the Branch as a m^n. V. 13 seems to imply 
his sitting and ruling upon his (own) throne, and as 
a priest upon his (Jehovah's) throne. He has been 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-NINE 403 

sitting at the right hand of God as a priest since his 
ascension. He returns to sit upon the throne of David, 
but will still hold his place as the Great High Priest 
on his Father's throne in the Temple, which he is to 
build. ^'And I, Jehovah, wdll be their God, and my 
servant David prince among them." ^^And my 
servant David shall be king over them : and they shall 
have one Shepherd." (Eze. 34:24; 37:25.) 

5. In Eze. 44:1-3 Jehovah is said to enter the 
Temple by the east gate, which is then permanently 
closed. ^^ Neither shall any man enter in by it, for 
Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it; 
therefore it shall be shut. As for the Prince, he shall 
sit therein as prince to eat bread before Jehovah; he 
shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate." 
Other passages indicate that he leads the people in 
their worship in the temple. Before his crucifixion, 
although he declared that he and the Father were 
one, yet he prayed to and worshipped the Father in 
his Father's house, and will do so when he comes 
again. 

6. Vague ideas prevail in regard to the reign of 
Christians with Christ. There is no warrant for the 
supposition that we are to reign, or to live, on any 
otJier planet tJian this. We are made ^^a kingdom of 
priests; and they reign upon the earth/' Neither are 
we to exalt ourselves, ^^ neither as lording it over the 
charge allotted to you." ''The kings of the Gentiles 
have lordship over them; but ye shall not be so: but 
he that is greater among you, let him become as the 
younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 
. . . And I appoint unto you a kingdom, even as my 



404 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Father appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink 
at my table in my Kingdom; and ye shall sit on 
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.'' Our 
reigning, then, is to be a reign of service and benefac- 
tion, and not of self-aggrandizement. 

7. Because the word ''kosmos" has been translated 
'Svorld,'' people have inferred that Jesus meant, when 
he replied to Pilate's question '^Art thou the king of 
the Jews?" that his kingdom was not to be on this 
earth. But he meant nothing of the kind ; but simply 
that his kingdom was of a different kosmos, or order. 
If it had not been, his followers would fight. There 
is to be no fighting in the kosmos of his kingdom. In 
1 Cor. 2:6 the word ^^aion" is translated ^^w^orld.'' 
But Paul was speaking of the wisdom of ^^the rulers 
of this age/^ and comparing it with the wisdom of 
God, which they lacked — and so killed Jesus. But 
such rulers, he says, are coming to naught. They are 
to be supplanted by rulers who will be guided by 
divine wisdom. 

8. "We must further modify our ideas of the sub- 
kingdoms under Christ's rule, as to their size. It is 
not probable that any man w^ill rule over greater ter- 
ritory or population than the 12 apostles. There 
would not be territory enough to go around among 
millions of kings and priests, if large- realms w^ere 
parceled out. Here again the ^'^ kosmos" of his king- 
dom is evident. It is not in the self-glorification of 
the kings, but in the greatest opportunity for service, 
and the capacity of the king or priest for rendering 
service to, or sacrifice for, his subjects. No under- 
ruler of the Millennial kingdom will be over-bur- 
dened with the responsibility of ruling more people 



LESSON NUMBER FORTY-NINE 405 

than he is capable of ruling well, and with blessing 
to them and to himself. The apostles will be 
responsible for only one tribe each. This is like the 
old patriarchal government, with its tribal heads. In 
the parables of the pounds and the talents, the ones 
proving to be the most capable and faithful are given 
authority — over many things — over ten cities, or five 
cities, and thus entering into the joy of their Lord, 
whose greatest joy is in blessing others. 

9. But there is another phase of this ruling. It is 
to be 'Svith a rod of iron.'' Impartial judgment and 
inflexible justice, without fear or favor. The rich 
cannot take advantage of the poor, or the strong of 
the weak, without being brought to justice. ^'My 
princes shall no more oppress my people." There 
will be no occasion for strikes or lock-outs ; no manipu- 
lating of courts, no bribing of judges, no political 
intrigue, no favoritism, no intimidation in the deal- 
ings of m.en with one another, without coming under 
that rod of iron. 

10. It is obvious, from some passages, that Millen- 
nial rule will not be restricted to the living nations. 
There are the rest of the dead who have no part in 
the first resurrection. These evidently come under the 
jurisdiction of Christ, and his saints, who, being then 
in spiritual bodies, the resurrected life, will be in 
touch with both the living and the dead. The angels 
of Jude 6 and 2 Pet. 2 :4 are probably the same as 
those of 1 Cor. 6 :3, who are to be judged by the 
Saints. After the 1000 years, the rest of the dead 
are to appear before the great white throne of Rev. 
20 :11 to receive sentence according to the things writ- 

• ten in the iooks which are then opened. The natural 



406 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

inference is that these books are the court records kept 
of every case judged during the millennial age. There 
is ^^ another book" opened, which is the Book of Life. 
There is no ^'book of death," but ^4f any was not 
found written in the book of life he was cast into the 
lake of fire." "We have no means of knowing how 
many that may include. But the throne is white, 
indicating absolutely righteous judgment. 

11. The courts of the millennium will probably 
resemble in their main features, at least, the courts 
of Israel, which were established by Moses, as God 
directed. There was the Sanhedrim, or highest court, 
consisting of elders and priests. There was a prince 
at the head of each tribe. There were rulers over 
thousands, rulers over hundreds, rulers over fifties, 
and rulers over tens. ' ' Judges and officers shalt thou 
make thee in all thy gates. " ^ ^ If there arise a matter 
too hard for thee in judgment . . . then shalt thou 
arise, and get thee up unto the place which Jehovah 
thy God shall choose; and thou shalt come unto the 
priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be 
in those days." The reign of Christ with his saints 
on earth will be systematic, for God is not a God of 
confusion, and his kingdom will be in perfect adjust- 
ment to all the needs of the civilization of the millen- 
nial age. But it will evidently be patriarchal: the 
father over the family, the living patriarch over his 
descendants, the prince over the tribe, Jesus, the last 
Adam, over them, and God, the Father over all — all 
seeking the welfare of those under their care. This 
is opposite in nature to imperial paternalism and more 
dependable than vacillating democracy. 



LESSON FIFTY 

Millennial Palestine 

Physical and climatic changes. New sources 
and abundance of water supply. New 
tribal divisions of the land. The new 
city of Jerusalem. The new temple. 
Abundance of food, great prosperity, 
health, long life and peace. 

And they shall say, This land that was desolate is 
become like the garden of Eden. (Eze. 36:35.) 

For Jehovah . . . will make her wilderness like 
Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah. 
(Isa. 51:3.) 

Home readings: Eze. 40:1-48; 44:1-31; 45: 
1-8 ; 47 :l-23 ; 48 :l-29. Isa. 52 :1-10 

Class readings: Jer. 30:18-22; 31:38-40; 
Eze. 36:6-15 and 22-31 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. When, and by what means, will the cities 
of the nations be destroyed ? Eev. 16 : 
18, 19. 

407 



408 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. How will Jerusalem and the Mount of 
Olives be affected? Rev. 16: 19a; Zecli. 
14:1-4. 

3. On what will Jehovah have compassion ; 
what shall be built, and where, and what 
inhabited? Jer. 30:18. R. V. 

4. What is suggested as to the size and 
permanency of the city? Jer. 31:38-40. 

5. How many reeds long and wide is the 
city to be? Eze. 48:16. (Notes and 
map.) 

6. What will be around the city, and how 
wide? V. 17. 

7. What is said of its gates? Vs. 30-35. 
Isa. 60 :11. (Comp. Rev. 21 :12, 13.) 

8. Where is the mountain of Jehovah's 
house to be established in the latter days, 
and will Israel only worship there ? Isa. 
2:2, 3; Micah4:l, 2. 

9. What does Eze. 40 :1, 2 say of this moun- 
tain, and what was on the south of it ? 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY 409 

10. Whom did Ezekiel see, and what was he 
told, in vs. 3, 4; 43:10-12; 44:1-5? 

11. What had he seen, and what had he been 
told in 43:1-7? 

12. Who is to build the temple? Zech. 6; 
12, 13. 

13. Of what is it to be ^4n the midst,'' and 
what is the size of this area? Eze. 48: 
8-10. 

14. What portion of this is to be for the 
priests, what for the Levites, what for 
common use, and for the city, and what 
for laborers in the city? Vs. 10-15, 
18,19. 

15. For what is Israel to ask, and to receive 
that has been with-holden? Eze. 22:23, 
24 ; Zech. 10 :1 ; Eze. 34 :26, 27 ; Joel 2 :21- 
24: Isa. 30:23. 

16. What will be upon every mountain and 
every high hill ? Isa. 30 :25. 

17. What about the wilderness and the dry 



410 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

land, and why, according to Isa. 35 :1, 2, 
6, 7, and 41:18-20? 

18. What ^'new thing'' will God do which 
will cause even wild animals to honor 
him? Isa. 43:19-21; 44:3. 

19. What waters shall issue from Jerusalem, 
where will they run, and what land shall 
be made like the Arabah? Zech: 14:8, 
10a. 

20. What additional water supply is men- 
tioned in Joel 3 :18, and Eze. 47 :l-5 ? 

21. Where shall these waters go, what valley 
will they water, what effect will they 
have on the Dead Sea, and upon all life 
where they come ? Joel 3 :18 ; Eze. 47 :8- 
11; Psa. 65:9, 10. 

22. What remarkable trees will grow on the 
banks of this river? Eze. 47:7, 12. 
(Comp. Rev. 22:2.) 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY 411 

NOTES 

1. Psalm 46 is evidently prophetic of the final great 
earthquake of the great day, which is to destroy cities 
and remove mountains-. ''God is our refuge and 
strength, . . . therefore will we not fear, though the 
earth do change^ and though the mountains he shaken 
into the heart of the seas. . . . Come, behold the works 
of Jehovah, what desolations he hath made in the 
earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the 
earth." Even the new river that is to break out in 
Jerusalem is mentioned. ''There is a river, the 
streams whereof make glad the city of God." "What- 
ever the spiritual significance of this may be, there are 
too many other passages which point to the actual 
breaking out of streams of real water in Palestine to 
limit this passage to a "spiritual" interpretation only. 
The great earthquake of that day will doubtless make 
some remarkable changes in the landscapes of earth. 
Some conception of possible changes' may be obtained 
from the Jan., 1915, National Geographic Magazine, 
More than one-half of the 159,782 recorded earth- 
quakes have occurred in the region of the Mediter- 
ranean Sea. This final great quake will be in this 
same region, and Palestine directly involved ; and per- 
haps the while world will be more or less affected. 
2. The purpose of this great earthquake seems to be 
the destruction of existing cities, thus preparing the 
way for rebuilding on a new and better plan. The 
antiquated w^alls and houses, with the narrow winding 
streets, and unsanitary conditions of Jerusalem, espe- 
cially, are to give place to a model city, regularly laid 



412 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

out, about nine miles square, with a park, or ^^ suburb'' 
area one-half mide wide around it, making the city and 
park ten miles square, if the cubit of Eze. 40 :5 is 22 
inches, as commonly supposed. This new city is to 
be ^^on its own hill,'' centrally located in a strip of 
land ten miles wide, and fifty miles long. 

3. North of this ten-mile strip is to be a strip 20 
miles w^ide and fifty miles long, in the midst of which,- 
on a mountain, higher than the hill which Jerusalem 
is to occupy, the millennial temple will be located. 
If the temple is in the center of this 20 mile strip, it 
Avill be ten miles north of Jerusalem's north side. The 
temple area, including its courts, is to cover about one 
square mile, with *^ suburbs," or a park nearly 100 
feet wide extending around it. This separation of the 
temple from the city, with 16 times as large an area 
for courts, corresponds with the enlarged temple 
service, which is no longer to be exclusively Jeivish, 
but for the wliole world, 

4. Adjoining this second strip on the north, and of 
the same size, is to be another strip, the entire area of 
the three strips making a square of fifty miles on each 
side. This square is called an ^^ oblation" — an offer- 
ing, or gift — to Jehovah, also called ^^a holy portion 
of the land. ' ' The middle strip is also called an obla- 
tion, and a '^holy portion" of the larger oblation. The 
*^holy place," containing the sanctuary, or temple, is 
said to be ''in the midst" of both the larger and the 
smaller oblation. If in the exact center of the larger, 
it would be fifteen miles from the city : if in the center 
of the smaller oblation, only ten miles. 

5. The Priests and Levites under the Mosaic law had 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY 413 

no allotted inheritance of land. But they are to have 
permanent homes in this oblation. The Levites are 
to occupy the northern strip, but are not to sell or 
exchange any of it. The middle strip is for the homes 
of the priests. The land in the southern strip, east 
and west of the city, is to be cultivated by ''them that 
labor in the city, ' ' and they are to have the food grown 
upon it. But the land is to be ''the possession of the 
city." With rapid transit, laborers in the city will 
be able to enjoy spare time in healthful and profitable 
occupation in the country, growing their own food- 
stuffs. And as there will be about 250,000 acres of this 
land, it will be sufficient to support a very large popu- 
lation. 

6. Instead of the irregular divisions of the land of 
Palestine formerly occupied by the twelve tribes, 
Palestine is to be divided into strips 20 miles wide, ex- 
tending east and west, north and south of the holy 
oblation. The land lying east and west of the oblation 
''shall be for the Prince." The Son of Man had not 
where to lay his head when on earth, but when he re- 
turns, if he is the Prince, he will have a special portion 
of land assigned to him. We do not need to be told 
that he will not use this land for his own selfish en- 
joyment — ^^no exclusive parks or private hunting 
grounds. More likely it will be made both productive 
and beautiful for the help of the needy and the bless- 
ing of all. 

7. The accompanying map of Millennial Palestine 
was drawn to what was generally believed by authori- 
ties to be the correct scale. Later it was explained 
that there was the possibility of a mistake in the unit 







Millennial divisions of Pa\e,^\ine.^ 

414 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY 415 

of measure, which would make the divisions of the 
land inaccurate, if the cubit specified were 22 inches. 
It is remarkable, however, that the divisions, accord- 
ing to the scale used, exactly cover the territory within 
the boundaries of Palestine as given in Num. 34 :1-12 
and in Eze. 47:15-20 if the western boundary is 
limited to the coast line between the streams men- 
tioned. 

There are those who claim that recent investigations 
indicate that the ancient cubit was not more than 14 
inches — which would nearly correspond was the scale 
used — but this would not be the sacred cubit. 

A little map in the Scofield Bible has since come 
to notice in which the divisions are drawn to a larger 
scale ; but this crowds some of the tribes into small con- 
fines. Probably neither map is more than approxi- 
mately correct. 

8. Eze. 34:26 says ^^I will cause the shower to come 
down in its season. ' ' Other passages give promises of 
both ^^the former, and the latter rain" — an assurance 
of regular harvests. The lack of regular and sufficient 
rainfall has kept Palestine in a semi-desert condition 
for many years. It is said that there has been a 
marked increase in the rainfall within the last 25 or 
30 years. But the complete fulfilment of these 
promises is not yet due. It will not be due until the 
conditions are met by Israel, and there is no further 
danger of foreign invasion. When that time comes, 
''the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth 
shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in 
their land." 

9. ''The Continent'' of Mar. 18, 1915, contains a 



416 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

two-page illustrated article on '' Israel's Pools and 
Streams/' from which wt quote: ^'Palestine is an 
oasis. The mt)st conspicuous of the waters which have 
retrieved it from the desert is- the Jordan. ... To 
the south large expanses of land are seemingly water- 
less, but water is in abundance under ground, . . . 
Zangwill is authority for the startling statement that 
*the entire plain of Sharon seems to cover a vast 
subterranean river, and this inexhaustible source of 
wealth underlies the whole territory of the Philistines. 
Putting the ear to any crack in the sun-burnt clay of 
the surface, in certain parts, one may hear the subdued 
growl and murmur of the waters underneath' . . . 
Mt. Hermon is the center of the water supply of 
Palestine. Its topmost peaks are snow-crowned even 
in the midst of summer, and some thirty streams flow 
from it in all directions. But strange to relate, not 
one of these streams reaches the great sea. They flow 
forth only to find their grave in some inland morass 
or lake." 

The following quotation from '^TJie Book of the 
Nations'' is taken from ''The Maccabean": ''My 
people have dug deep to find the waters of life. They 
have dug for wells of water in a land whose rivers flow 
underground. They have returned to the wells of the 
plain, the brooks and springs of Galilee." 

10. From these quotations it seems reasonable to 
suppose that some of these sunken waters from Mt. 
Hermon flow underground through Palestine to the 
sea. Such an earthquake as is to be might easily close 
the underground passages and open others which 
would bring these waters to the surface in Jerusalem 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY 417 

and elsewhere. That these waters are to break out 
on the mountains and hilltops, instead of in the valleys, ' 
is very remarkable ; and to those who have ever lived 
in an irrigated country, it will be recognized as most 
valuable; for water must always be delivered to the 
highest points of land for distribution over the fields 
in irrigation. All the passages which mention these 
waters indicate irrigation for the reclaiming of arid^ : 
desert lands. ' ' There shall be upon every lofty moun- 
tain, and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of 
waters'' — canals, ditches, furrows, always on the 
higher lands, in an irrigated country. ^'The wilder- 
ness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert 
shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.'' ^^ Streams in 
the desert" — ^^ rivers in the desert" — ^ ^streams (irri- 
gating furrows) upon the dry ground"; etc. 

11. The world's mightiest empires, the most densely 
populated countries, and the highest civilizations, have 
mostly developed upon irrigated lands. The waters 
issuing from Jerusalem, and from the temple are 
therefore very gracious gifts of God. Everything ''in 
every place whither the rivers come, shall live'^ ; and 
the lands to be irrigated from these streams are 
definitely specified. Those from Jerusalem are to flow 
toward the east and toward the west. ''All the land 
shall be made like the Arabah (Jordan valley), from 
Geba (northeast) to Eimmon, south of Jerusalem. 
And the waters from the new temple "shall go down 
into the Arabah" — "and shall water the valley of 
Shittim" — the valley of acacias, at the head of the 
Dead Sea. It is impossible to interpret such details 
spiritually ; they must be taken literally. 



418 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. According to Eze. 47:9-11, these waters, when 
they finally reach the Dead Sea, will transform its in- 
tensely saline waters into a wonderfully prolific 
fishery, in which ^^ there shall be a very great multi- 
tude of fish ... as the fish of the great sea, exceed- 
ing many.'' How this transformation is to be ac- 
complished we are not told ; but there is an interesting 
account of the healing of the waters of an unwholesome 
spring near Jericho, in 2 Ki. 2:19-22, when salt was 
put into them. Is it not possible that these waters, 
coming from the same underground source as that of 
the future rivers, may carry some chemical element 
from the underlying rocks which will form an in- 
soluble precipitate with the salts of the sea, which, 
settling to the bottom, will leave the water pure and 
wholesome ? 

13. Possibly, too, the same elements which may 
cause the healing of the sea, will prove to be the 
fertilizing elements which are to produce such wonder- 
ful fruitfulness of the soil ^^whithersoever the river 
Cometh." (^^Thou greatly enrichest it with the river 
of God." Psa. 65:9.) Most remarkable are the state- 
ments regarding the trees — evergreen, fruit every 
month for food^ and the leaves for lieaUng. These 
seem to bear a very close resemblance to those of Rev. 
22:1, 2. They are at least a distinct approach to 
them, and it is especially interesting to note that these 
trees are to grow in the portion of the Prince. 

14. From the present probable location of the 
future temple to the Jordan is a descent of about 4,000 
feet. The river described in Eze. 47 :l-5 will be no 
insignificant stream. The possibilities for hydro- 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY 419 

electric power development in such a stream, with such 
a head, are tremendous. All Palestine might be pro- 
vided with light and power in abundance. With so 
much additional water pouring into the Dead Sea, it 
would naturally rise to higher level. But this could 
easily be avoided by diverting an equal amount of 
water from the Jordan farther up, and irrigating an- 
other large tract of country with it. The range of 
adaptability to various fruits and other foodstuffs 
within Palestine will reacli from the tropical climate 
of the Jordan to the snow line of Mt. Hermon. The 
greatest abundance, in the greatest variety, of food- 
stuffs from salt and fresh waters and inexhaustible 
soils, close at hand. In Isa. 65 :17-25 the descriptions 
of conditions that are to prevail seem to apply to the 
millennial age, notwithstanding the mention of a crea- 
tion of new heavens and earth and Jerusalem. The 
changes to take place when Satan is deposed, and 
Christ reigns, will practically make a new world for 
man to dwell in — with a new Jerusalem as Earth's 
capital city. 

15. Deut. 8:9 says of Palestine: ''A land whose 
stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest 
dig copper.'' Scientific investigations indicate min- 
eral resources which have never yet been developed. 
^'The Near East Crossroads of the AVorld" (p. 110), 
says: ''Those competent to speak upon the subject 
state that there is no other district in the world which 
gives such prospects of rich return in petroleum a^ the 
region of the Jordan valley. ' ' 






DAMASCUS 




Original tnljal dlWsicn of Pale^tlnrQ, 

420 



PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

PART SIX 

Age.s of Ages 
LESSONS FIFTY-ONE AND FIFTY-TWO 

The final revolt and slaughter; the final 
disposal of Satan. The great white throne. 
The second death. The new heaven, the 
new earth, and the New Jerusalem. The 
river of life and the tree of life. The final 
attestation of the book, the final invitation, 
and the final warning. 

a. Although there is to be no end to the 
age, or ^^the ages of the ages,'' of Part Six, 
very little information is given of that age. 
But it is to be earth's Golden Age. It would 
perhaps be as impossible for us to compre- 
hend the details of life in that age as it 
would be for an ignorant Hottentot to 
imderstand the details of the coming mil- 
lennial age. But if our interest in what may 
be understood about the present age, and 

421 



422 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

also the millennial age, differentiates us 
from the ignorant, should not an interest in 
what may be comprehended of the far dis- 
tant future be a distinguishing characteristic 
worthy of our highest ambition and most 
enthusiastic effort ? 

&. The lessons of Part Six can only intro- 
duce us to an endless age, or succession of 
ages, Christ is to reign with the saints 1,000 
years. ' ' Then cometh the end, when he shall 
deliver up the kingdom to God, even the 
Father ; when he shall have abolished all 
rule and all authority and power. For he 
must reign, till he hath put all his enemies 
under his feet. The last enemy that shall be 
abolished is death. ^' (1 Cor. 15:24-26.) 



LESSON FIFTY-ONE 

The Fixal Coxsummatiox 

The final testing of Millennial nations. The 
final \Yar. Fire from heaven devonring 
the rebels. The second, or general, 
resurrection. The second death. The 
new heavens and new earth. 

Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth ; 
and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They 
shall perish. ... As a vesture shalt thou change 
them, and they shall be changed. (Psa. 102:25, 26.) 

nonie readings: Eze. 38:1-23; 39:1-16; Isa. 
34:1-17. 

Class reading: Rev. 20:7-15 and 21:1-8 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. What '^niusf and ^^ shall " be done 
when the thousand years are finished? 
Rev. 20:3c, 7. 

423 



424 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

2. For what purpose will Satan come 
forth, and how many will he gather to- 
gether? V. 8;Eze. 38:9, 16. 

3. How, and where will Israel then dwell ? 
Eze. 38:11, 12, 14. 

4. What will the great army surround? 
Rev. 20:9a. 

5. What will God send upon them? Eze. 
39:6; Rev. 20:9b. 

6. Where will the devil be cast, who else 
are there, and in what condition? V. 
10. (Comp. 19:20.) 

7. What did John see in Y. 11a? 

8. What is said in Vs. lib, and 21:1b, of 
the heaven and earth? 

9. For what are the heavens and earth re- 
served? 2 Pet. 3 :7, 10-12. (Comp. Isa. 

34:8-10.) 

10. What do we then look for, and why ? V. 
13. 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-ONE 425 

11. What event is indicated in Rev. 20:5a, 
12a? 

12. Out of what, and according to what, are 
the dead judged? Vs. 12, 13. 

13. What, and who are cast into the lake of 
fire? Vs. 14, 15. 

14. What did John see in 21 :1 ? 

15. A^^iatin V. 2? 

16. What announcement is made by a great 
voice, in Vs. 3, 4 ? 

17. Who speaks in Vs. 5, 6a, b, and what 
does he say? 

18. AVhat promise does he make in V. 6c ? 

19. What promises are made in V. 7 ? 

20. Who are mentioned in V. 8, and where 
will their part be? 



426 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

'NOTES 

1. Eveti the Millennium ends in revolt and judg- 
ment. The 38th and 39th chapters of Ezekiel seem 
to refer to the rebellion and slaughter at the end of 
the Millennium, rather than before its beginning, since 
Gog 9.nd Magog are mentioned in them, as in Rev. 
20 ;8, as the chief invaders of Palestine; although 
other nations are with them. Also, this invasion oc- 
curs at a time when Palestine is described as ^'the 
land of unwalled villages . . . that are at rest, that 
dwell securely ^^ — which could not be said of them be- 
fore the Millennium. Again, the weapons mentioned 
in Ezekiel are wooden weapons — so many of them that 
they will furnish Israel with fuel for seven years. 
"With the probable electrification of Palestine, and the 
development of the petroleum fields, the demand for 
wood for fuel may not be very great, especially in that 
warm climate; but even then a seven years' supply 
indicates an enormous quantity of weapons. We use 
weapons of steel now, but these are to be beaten into 
plowshares. For a thousand years the world is to be 
free from deadly steel implements of human 
slaughter. The final uprising when Satan is liberated 
will likely be sudden, and weapons be hastily made of 
wood, which will seem sufficient, since Palestine will 
be unprepared and defenseless, and seemingly its un- 
walled villages and unarmed people would be easily 
overwhelmed by such a great host. This slaughter 
differs from Armageddon in location also. This is to 
be upon the mountains of Israel. A special burying 
place is to be given on the east side of the sea which 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-ONE 427 

is to be called ''the valley of Hamongog." The im- 
mense number of the slain is indicated by the time 
required for the people of the land to bury them. 
(Eze. 39:11-16.) 

2. It is difficult to locate the time of the world- 
burning predicted in 2 Pet. 3 :7-12. It seems strange 
that an event of such tremendous importance should 
be nowhere else described in all the Bible. The only 
intimations of such an event after the Millennium are 
the coming of fire from heaven upon the hosts of Gog 
and Magog (Rev. 20:9), and the fleeing away, and 
passing away, of heaven and earth in Vs. 11 and 21 :1. 
According to Ezekiel, no such world burning can be 
implied in the destruction of their armies at that time, 
since their wooden weapons are not burned. That 
the world is not then destroyed is evident, because 
those weapons are used for fuel for the next seven 
years. 

3. Other difficulties are involved in the original 
meanings of words, and differing versions. "Where 2 
Pet. 3:10 says the earth (or land) is to be ^^burned 
up," the most ancient manuscripts read ^^ discovered/' 
or '^made bare." Peter is describing what is to take 
place in ''the day of the Lord." In Luke 17:26-30 
Jesus said, ''as it was in the days of Noah" ; and, "in 
the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire 
and 'brimstone (or "divine fire") from heaven, and 
destroyed them all : after the sayne manner shall it be 
in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.' ' This is 
held to refer to his coming in judgment before the 
Millennium. So also does 2 Thess. 1:7-10: "to you 
that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the 



428 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power 
in flaming fl^rCy rendering vengeance to them that know 
'xiot God, and to them that obey not the Gospel of our 
Lord Jesus Christ ' ' — words w^hich would not apply to 
the millennial age, but only to this Gospel age. These 
references to fire and brimstone, and flaming fire 
therefore apply to the judgments that fall upon the 
earth (or land) under the seals, trumpets and bowls 
of wrath. Thus, the angel in Rev. 8 :5 cast flre upon 
the earth; and when (V. 7) the first trumpet is 
sounded, hail, fire and blood were cast upon the earth 
(or land) ^'and the third part of the land was hurnt 
npf and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and 
all green grass was burmt up/' (The Greek in all 
these cases, as also in 2 Pet. 3:10 means literally ^^to 
burn down/' which does not imply such total destruc- 
tion as to ^^burn up"). In V. 8 a hitrning mountain, 
and in V. 10 a burning star fall. The two witnesses 
of 11 :5 have power to kill men with flre: and in 16 :8 
it is given to the sun ^^to scorch men with fl^re.^' Even 
the infernal horses of 9 :17, 18 kill men with flre and 
brimstone. It seems very probable, therefore, that the 
description in 2 Pet : 3 :7-12 applies to this same time. 
4. That the whole earth is to be melted and dissi- 
pated by fire is not absolutely to be inferred from any 
passage in the Bible. Peter prefaces his statements 
about the coming of the new heaven and earth by say- 
ing that ^^the world that tlien was'' — (before the 
flood) ^'perisJied/' '^ being overfloived ivitli ivater." 
*^But the heavens that noiv are, and the earth" — a 
neiv heavens and earth after the flood — ^^have been 
stored up for flre," A world cleansed by water, and 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-ONE 429 

its heaven, or atmosphere, became thereby a new 
heaven and earth. And they will again become new in 
a similar sense when cleansed by fire. Such a heaven 
and earth, with Satan cast out of both, would corre- 
spond with the new heaven and new earth of Isa. 65 : 
17. 

''Fire,'' in the Bible, usually means literal fire; but 
it is also used in a figurative sense — as, '^Let my wrath 
go forth as fire ^^ ; " He hath burned up Jacob like a 
fire"; ''I have set a fire in Egypt'' ; ''I will bring the 
third part into the fire, and will refine them"; ^^I 
have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." Peter 
speaks of a fiery trial of Christians, and of their faith 
being proved by fire. James (3:6) says ''the tongue 
is a fire ... set on fire of Gehenna." The recent 
wars and famines and pestilences have been sweeping 
like fires — great conflagations — over the old world. 
The fires of this lesson are, therefore, probably literal, 
unless it be that the "lake of fire" is figurative. 

5. The passing away of the heaven and earth of 
Eev. 21 :1 seems to be the closing up of the millennial 
age and order, and the -beginning of a new^ order. 
This is what Paul refers to in 1 Cor. 15:24; ^'Then 
cometJi the end, when he shall deliver up tJie Kingdom 
io Godf even the Father.'^ 

. The fleeing away of the heaven and earth of Rev. 
20:11 seems to imply their embarrassment in that 
glorious Presence. They fade into insignificance be- 
fore Him. Psa. 114:5-7 is similar to this. "What 
aileth thee, thou sea, ... ye mountains, that ye 
skip like rams; . . . Tremble, thou earth, at the 
presence of the Lord, . . . When Israel went forth out 



430 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

of Egypt.'' That another world conflagration is im- 
plied by this fleeing away does not seem consistent 
with the purpose of His presence, which is to pro- 
nounce judgment upon ''the rest of the dead/' ''the 
deadj the great and the small, standing before the 
throne." 

6. The resurrection of "the rest of the dead," "the 
unjust," seems to differ from that of "the just," the 
"better resurrection," the "first resurrection." It is 
not stated here that all the dead are raised. It is "the 
dead'' that stand before the throne, not the resur- 
rected. It seems more likely that only those whose 
names are found written in the book of life are re- 
stored to life, and any who are not found there are 
cast at once into the lake of fire. There is no sugges- 
tion here that this resurrection is to be into such 
glorious bodies as in the first resurrection — into the 
likeness of Christ's glorified body, but probably like 
all resurrections previous to His own, a restoration 
to human life, flesh and blood life, Adamic life. It 
is evident that these will constitute the nations of the 
new earth, but not the inhabitants of the New 
Jerusalem, which is for the Bride the Lamb's wife — 
Only they that are written in the Lamb's book of 
life — which seems to be a different book of life from 
that of 20 :12 which is opened 1,000 years earlier. But 
it is possible for them afterward to drink of "the 
fountain of the water of life" of 21:6, and perhaps 
then be permitted to ''enter in iy the gates into tlie 
citij.'' 

7. The resurrection of the just is the time of the 
justified dead to be judged and rewards given them. 
(Rev. 11:18.) They are justified by faitli in Christ, 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-ONE 431 

and rewarded according to their works. In the resur- 
rection of the rest of the dead, they are judged out of 
the things which were written in the books, according 
to tlieir works. This indicates a previous trial or hear- 
ing — probably before the ^^ thrones" or judgment 
seats of the saints, who reign with Christ during the 
Millennium, these books being the court records. 
'^And anotJier book" — only one — the book of life, 
containing the names of all counted w^orthy to live 
among the nations of the new earth. The judgments 
of the great white throne — the throne of absolute 
righteousness — seem to be in the nature of judicial 
sentences, based on court records. The whole process 
indicates the most thorough investigation and care to 
secure the final salvation of every person possible. 

8. There is no reason for supposing, as some do, 
that all who appear before this throne are doomed to 
eternal agony in the lake of fire. ^^It is a fearful 
thing to fall into the hands of the living God" — for 
punishment — and those ^^who have trodden under fool 
the Son of God" will be judged worthy of sore punish- 
ment. (Heb. 10:26-31.) But millions and billions 
of the dead never were guilty of that sin, because 
they had no knowledge of him in this life. God will 
deal in absolute justice with such, mingled with all 
possible mercy, for ^^he is not willing that any should 
perish." The wording of Rev. 20:15 indicates that 
those w^ho perish will be the exception, rather than the 
rule. But it should be borne in mind that this does 
not imply a spiritual salvation or life for those who do 
not perish, unless they afterward take of the water of 
life which is offered freely. 

9. In the ^'new earth" of Isa. 65 :17-25, life is again 



432 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

lengthened, like the age-long lives of the antediluvians, 
'^for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my 
people. '^ ^^The child shall die a hundred years old, 
and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be ac- 
cursed. ' ' It is not to be a world entirely free from 
sin and death, but of general righteousness and 
longevity. In Jerusalem ' ' there shall be heard in her ^ 
no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying" , 
— ^no more catastrophes to its people, to cause general 
mourning. ^^They shall not labor in vain, nor bring 
forth for calamity. ' ' But in the final new earth there 
will be no more death, for death and Hades will have 
been cast into the lake of fire. Their purpose will have 
been served. A new order of life will be established. 
'* Behold I make all tilings new/^ Of the new Jerusa- 
lem it is said that ^4he tabernacle of God is ivitli men, 
. . . and God himself shall be ivith them . . . and he 
shall wipe away every tear . . . and death shall be no 
more/^ nor mourning, nor crying, nor pain — for these 
things are passed aivay. ^^He that overcometh shall 
inherit these things. " 

10. There is one sentence of six words in Rev. 21 :1 
that is perplexing: '^And the sea is no more." A 
reconstructed earth without any oceans is inconceiv- 
able. It has been suggested that the meaning may be 
that the sea will no longer be a barrier to communica- 
tion between nations. ^^ Wireless" and aircraft seem 
to be overcoming this barrier, even now. But since 
the ancients called oceans, lakes, and large artificial 
containers of water seas^ it is possible that the sea in 
this passage is the Dead Sea. This was often called 
*'the Salt Sea," or simply '^the sea," while other 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-ONE 433 

and larger seas were usually designated as ^Hhe Red 
Sea/' ^^the Egyptian Sea/' ^^the Great Sea'' (Medi- 
terranean), etc. If all the waters of the Jordan and 
its tributaries were used for irrigation, the Dead Sea 
would dry up, and its bed perhaps become a source of 
wealth in the alkaline deposits which have been ac- 
cumulating for ages in its waters. That the earth is 
to become a waterless planet, like the moon, seems very 
improbable. "We can only speculate on this passage. 

11. Verse 8 tells us definitely what kind of people 
are to be cast into the lake of fire : the fearful and un- 
believing, those who are still afraid to trust God, or 
Avill not believe him, and the abominable, and others 
mentioned. It is not to be understood that every one 
who has ever been guilty of any of these sins is to have 
a part in this lake, but those who still persist in these 
si7is to the end. "We must not infer more than the 
Bible says of this lake. Satan, the beast, and the 
false prophet are plainly to be tormented ^^unto the 
ages of the ages. ' ' But this is not said of any others. 

^^And such were some of you: but ye were washed, 
but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of 
our God.'' (1 Cor. 6:11.) 



LESSON FIFTY-TWO 

The New Jeeusalem 

Its location ; its light ; its wall ; its gates ; its 
foundations; its size; its streets; its 
river; its trees; its inhabitants; its 
throne ; its relation to the nations. Who 
may enter in through the gates. Con- 
cluding words. 

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed . . . 
for he looked for the city which hath foundations, 
whose builder and maker is God.'' 

Home readings: Isa. 65:17-25; Heb. 11:8- 
16; Rev. 21:1-27; 22:1-21. 

Class readings: Rev. 21:9-27; 22:1-21. 

QUESTIONS AND PASSAGES 

1. Why did Abraham become a sojourner 
in the land of promise ? Heb. 11 :9j 10. 

2. What evidence have we that God is not 
ashamed of such men ? Vs. 13, 16. 

434 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-TWO 435 

3. AYhere is the cliurcli of the first-born, 
and what do w^e seek? Heb. 12:22, 23; 
13:14. 

4. What promise is made in Rev. 3:12b, 
and to w^hom ? 

5. Wliere did John see this city, and w^hat 
did he say of it in Rev. 21 :2 ? 

6. Who showed him the city, and where 
was it? Vs. 9, 10. (Comp. 2a and Eze. 
40:2.) 

7. What is said of her glory and her light ? 
Vs. 11, 23 ; 22 :5. 

8. What is said of the wall and its gates ? 
Vs. 12, 13, 18, 21, 25. 

9. What of its foundations? Vs. 14, 19, 
20. 

10. What did the angel have, and for what 
purpose? V. 15. (Comp. Eze. 40; 3, 
5.) 

11. "What was the shape and size of the city, 
and of the wall? Vs. 16, 17. 



436 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

12. Of what materials were the wall, the 
city, the street, and the gates? Vs. 18, 
21.^ 

13. What did John not see, and why? V. 
22. (Comp. V. 3.) 

14. What shall, and what shall not come into 
this city? Vs. 24, 26, 27 ; 22 :14. 

15. What shall be in the city, what shall 
proceed from it, and where? 23:3b, 1, 
2a. 

16. What kind of trees will line the banks 
of this river, and w^hat are its charac- 
teristics? Vs. 2b, c. (Comp. Eze. 47: 
12.) 

17. What shall be no more ? Vs. 3a, 5a. 

18. What four classes of people are men- 
tioned in V. 11 ? 

19. What is attested in Vs. 6, 7, and who 
testifies? Vs. 16a, 20. 

20. What warning testimony does he give in 
Vs. 18,19? 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-TWO 437 

21. What great invitation is given in V. 17 ? 

22. What is the final benediction ? V. 21. 

NOTES 

1. Could not this earth and its atmosphere, trans- 
formed and purified, become the future abode of man- 
kind ? Would not this world be a paradise, when it is 
made new, and Satan, death and sorrow are gone? 
Possibly visits to far distant planets, through vast 
stretches of space, may be in store for the saints ; but 
there are many who hold that this earth, redeemed, 
and, with its associated heaven, is to be our home. 

2. Jerusalem of old, in its greatest glory, was about 
41^ miles in circumference, nearly square. Millennial 

• Jerusalem is to be about 40 miles in circumference, 
including its suburbs, or parks, occupying altogether 
100 square miles. The measurement of the New Jeru- 
salem as given in Rev. 21 :16 is twelve thousand fur- 
longs. According to Dr. Scofield, this would be about 
1,341 miles, according to Dr. Young, 1,200 miles. 
This is usually taken to be the length of one side. 
But instead of repeating this measure for each side, 
as in Eze. 48 : 16, it is given but once^ as in Eze. 48 :35, 
which is the circumference. This would make tlie city 
from 300 to 335 miles on each side, covering from 
90,000 to 122,500 square miles, comparable in area to 
the states of Oregon or New Mexico. This is several 
times the area of Palestine, and a city of that size 
could not be accommodated there, unless Palestine is 



438 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

to finally reach the Euphrates River, as might be im- 
plied from Deut. 1:7; 11:24; Josh. 1:4. There is 
now a wide stretch of desert between Palestine and 
the Euphrates, which would be ample in area for such 
a city. 

3. There are striking resemblances in the descrip- 
tions of the Millennial Jerusalem in Ezekiel and the 
New Jerusalem in Revelation. Ezekiel was carried 
'4n the visions of God" and set down on a very high 
mountain, where he was shown the plan of Millennial 
Jerusalem, toward the south. John was carried ^^in 
the Spirit to a mountain great and high/' where he 
was shown the New Jerusalem coming down out of 
heaven. Ezekiel and John each had an angelic guide 
with a measuring reed, the latter a golden reed, with 
which to measure the city. Each city is square, and 
each has 12 gates, with the names of the 12 tribes of 
Israel on them. The gates of the New Jerusalem are 
never to be shut. They are pearly portals. ZecK 
14:8 tells of living ivaters (not stagnant) flowing from 
Jerusalem and irrigating lands toward the east and 
west. But Ezekiel saw a large river of water flowixig 
from under the temple, the place of Jehovah's Mil- 
lennial throne, 10 miles farther north, running down 
into the Jordan valley, which brought vigorous life to 
everything it touched — from trees to fish. In the 
New Jerusalem is ^^a river of water of life, clear as 
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of 
the Lamb, in the midst of the street thereof.'' 
"Wherever the waters from Jerusalem come, all the 
land from Geba to Rimmon becomes like the Arabahi — 
very fertile. On the banks of Ezekiel's river '^shall 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-TWO 439 

grow every tree for food,'' evergreen, no failure of 
fruit, a crop every month, and the leaves for healing; 
and in the New Jerusalem, ''on this side of the river 
and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve crops 
of fruit, yielding its fruit every month : and the leaves 
of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ' ' 

4. With all these similarities there are very marked 
distinctions. There is a very great difference between 
a city of less than II/2 square miles area, one of 100, 
and one of 100,000 square miles. There is tremendous 
progression, not only in dimensions, but in symmetry, 
adaptation, sanitation, beauty, magnificence, glory. 
Corresponding civilizations acccompany each. This 
present age is an age of savagery, climaxing in the 
most brutal war of all time — a colossal struggle be- 
tween forces of evil and forces of righteousness. But 
The Conqueror has been crowned and is to conquer, 
and establish his reign of righteousness and peace. 
This is to be followed by a finally perfected kingdom 
of holiness and deathlessness. This will be earth's 
Golden Age, of which there will be no end. 

5. In Eev. 21 :12, the wall of the city is said to be 
*' great and high." In V. 17 the measure of the wall, 
presumably its height, is 144 cubits. Even a 22 ixich 
cubit would make this wall but 264 feet high. In V. 
16 the statement appears that the length and breadth 
and height of the city are equal. But it is vot said to 
be great and high — although the mountain to which 
John was carried, and the wall, are both said to be 
''great and high." If this city is really a cube, it 
will be at least 300 miles high: some say 1,500 miles 
high. If the city is 300 miles high, it is exactly 



440 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

6,000 times as high as its '^ great and high" wall. A 
similar ^Svall" about a building 120 feet square and 
high would be less than one-fourth of an inch high — 
not much of a wall! This word ^^ height" in V. 16 
looks to the writer very much like the mark of a care- 
less copyist of early times. Note this : the proportions 
of the city are first given as length and hreadth only. 
It is said that it ^^lieth^' {not ^^standeth'') four 
s'quarey which does not indicate a cubical form. There 
ici) no mention of height until this statement of pro- 
portion is confirmed by measurement, which seems to 
be of the circumference, when the first statement that 
•'the length thereof is as great as the breadth/' is 
confirmed by the statement that these proportions are 
egi/aZ, according to this measurement. This is as easy 
to understand as that two and two make four. It 
would be as hard for one to understand that two and 
two make five as to understand a cubical city. 

While we do not question the verbal inspiration of 
the original text, we cannot deny that errors of tran- 
scription and translation have crept into this book in 
spite of the warnings appended; for in the Ameri- 
can Eevision there are more than thirty foot notes 
which mention variations, omissions, additions^ inser- 
tions and uncertain meanings, in which ''many au- 
thorities," many ancient authorities," etc., differ from 
the text — besides various renderings in translation. 
For example: the King James version of Rev. 22:14 
reads, "Blessed are they that do his commandments'' ; 
while the Am. Revision reads "Blessed are they that 
ivash their robes." And this of so important a matter 
as the terms on which they may have ^Hhe right to the 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-TWO 441 

tree of life/^ and entrance into the city! And yet, 
these errors are not of such importance as to impair 
the book as a whole, but only add to the difficulty of 
interpretation in minor details. We must face facts, 
not ignore them. "We must visualize these descrip- 
tions as correctly as possible, before we can interpret 
them correctly. 

6. This city (of Rev. 21 :12) is to be the home of the 
resurrected and transformed saints, the new creation 
of which Jesus is the ^'Adam.'' It is possible that 
spiritual bodies might inhabit a cubical city, of which 
we can form no conception; but the entire descrip- 
tion of the city, aside from that one w^ord '^height" in 
V. 16, accords with our understanding of a real city, 
and corresponds in proportions with the present and 
Millennial Jerusalem. We can understand the wall, 
the gates, the river, the trees of such a city. Dr. 
Seiss says: '^That a real city as well as a perfected 
moral system is here to be understood, I see not how 
we can otherwise conclude. Great Babylon, to which 
it stands as the exact antithesis, came out finally ia a 
real and universally potent city ; so, therefore, must 
this. All the elements of a city are indicated. . . . 
And whilst this holy Jerusalem is the Bride of Christ 
with reference to its holy occupants, it is still those 
occupants as disposed and arranged in that city . . . 
its waters are literal waters, of a nature and quality 
answering to that of the golden city to which they 
belong. ' ' 

7. This city is already built — ^^ whose architect and 
builder is God." It seems to be identical with the 
''Paradise of God" of Rev. 2:7, for the tree of life is 



442 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

Raid to be there. Jesus said to the dying thief ' ' Today 
shalt thou be with me in Paradise. '^ He had previ- 
ously told his disciples of the ^^many mansions/' and 
that he was going to prepare a place for them. Previ- 
ous to his descent into Hades after his death, all men 
had gone thither (to Hades) at death. Psa. 89:48 
^ays: ^^What man is he that shall live and not see 
death, that shall deliver his soul from the power of 
Sheol?" Psa. 49:15 says: ''But God will redeem my 
soul from the power of Slieol; for he will receive me." 
Eph. 4:8, 9 says: ''Wherefore he saith, "When he 
ascended on high he led captivity captive'' — a quota- 
tion from Psa. 68:18: "Thou hast ascended on high, 
thou hast led away captives/^ Jesus said in Rev. 1 :18, 
"I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore, and 
I liave the keys of death and Hades/' He once said 
to Peter, "Upon this rock will I build my church; 
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it/' 
From these and other passages, it is inferred that 
after Jesus' sacrificial death he descended into Hades 
(Sheol), where he proclaimed the glad tidings of re- 
demption, and then released all captive souls who 
would accept, or had accepted his salvation, and led 
them, including the thief, up to Paradise ; and that 
ever since that time the gates of Hades had been locked 
against His saints, who are conveyed at once up to 
Paradise, when they die. 

8. Paul tells in 2 Cor. 12 :4 of being caught up into 
Paradise (not seeing it from a high mountain, as John 
did), "Whether in the body, or apart from the body, 
I know not; God knoweth," and that he heard ^^un- 
speakable words/' which it was not lawful for him to 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-TWO 443 

utter. He speaks of this experience as one of his 
^Wisions and revelations of the Lord/' and that ^*by 
reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, 
that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given 
me a thorn in the flesh." He intimates that he has 
reason to glory over these wonderful revelations, but 
that it is not expedient for him to do so. His epistles 
disclose marvelous knowledge of God^s eternal pur- 
poses, and of coming events. The 15th chapter of 1 
Cor. and the 1st and 2nd chapters of 2 Thess. show 
wonderful insight into the future. It seems probable, 
therefore, that Paul received similar, and perhaps 
fuller, information in his ^^revelations of the Lord," 
than even John, as he was not permitted to tell all he 
knew. What he says about the resurrection of the 
saints, and the time of its occurrence, after the last 
trumpet, must be in harmony with what John was 
permitted to write. Doubtless it was these wonderful 
revelations, which so inspired Paul and gave him such 
unrestrainable enthusiasm in his work. It ought to 
have the same effect on every Christian who can catch 
from him and from John some glimpses of what they 
saw so plainly. 

9. Each of the gates of the city has the name of one 
of the tribes of Israel upon it. Each of the 12 founda- 
tion stones has the name of one of the twelve apostles 
on it. Since these gates are never closed, they seem 
to be chiefly for courts of jurisdiction, one for each 
apostle, and his designated tribe over which he rules. 
There will be no criminal causes in these courts. 
More likely they will be gathering places for consider- 
ing questions which have to do with the welfare of all. 



444 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

and over which the apostles preside, and where they 
render decisions. The gates are pearls, and the 
foundations are precious stones. 

10. The city is of pure, translucent gold. Even the 
streets are of the same material. But, aside from the 
buildings and streets there are the river and the trees. 
There must be soil for trees, and, in all probability, for 
other vegetation. The picture seems to be of a city 
supplied with irrigating streams, all coming from the 
river and flowing along every street, making a 
^ ^ Paradise "—^^ the garden of God," of 64,000,000 
acres — buildings, streets and all. Under perfect con- 
ditions, ^^no more curse,'' upon the earth, the thorns, 
thistles, weeds, insect pests and all the other enemies 
of plant life with which the earth is now cursed, gone, 
and the invigorating waters of the river reaching 
everywhere, producing a crop every month, under such 
conditions, what a population will be possible ! 

11. More space is given to the description of the 
wall than to the city itself. The building of the wall 
is of ^^ jasper" — ^which is supposed to be the diamond 
— ^^a stone most precious/' ^^ clear as crystal' ' — 
flashing light, impenetrable hardness — perfect pro- 
tection to those within the city. Real as this doubt- 
less is, it is also beautiful in its symbolism. Christ is 
the chief corner-stone (Eph. 2:19-22) ; and here we 
see the first foundation stone is of jasper. The wall 
is of Jasper, surrounding the city, giving light, not 
only to it, but to the nations outside also ; and Christ 
is the light of the world. ^^In Him is no darkness at 
all." ^^And there shall be night no more." His 
Bride is to enjoy all the protection, all the light, all 



LESSON NUMBER FIFTY-TWO 445 

the nourishment, delicious fruits, clear, sparking, liv- 
ing water, and glory, that belong to Him. 

12. In the temples of old, and in the millennial 
temple, there is exclusiveness. A special place of 
residence is provided for God, into which men may not 
enter. God is holy ; and until men become holy they 
are not fit to be in His presence. But since the in- 
habitants of the New Jerusalem are made holy through 
the cleansing blood of Christ, they come into full fel- 
lowship with Him, and there is no further need of 
exclusion from His presence. John saw no temple in 
this Holy City, for the presence of the Lord God, the 
Almighty, and the Lamb, dwelling with his people, 
makes a temple unnecessary, except as the whole city 
becomes a temple. ^^So then ye are ... of the 
household of God, being built upon the foundation of 
the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being 
the chief cornerstone; in whom every building, fitly 
framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the 
Lord; in whom ye also are builded together into a 
habitation of God in the Spirit." The nations do not 
reside in the city, but walk in the light of it, and 
bring their glory and honor into it. 

13. When Adam sinned, he was expelled from the 
immediate presence of God, and from his Paradise. 
Cherubim guarded the place lest he should return and 
partake of the tree of life, and so perpetuate his 
existence in a sinful condition. Not until sin is ex- 
piated and cleansed away, can man be permitted to 
enter the Paradise of God and have right to the tree 
of life. But there is to be a fountain of water of life 
to which all are invited, and of which all may drink 



446 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

freely. Every provision is made for securing life, for 
sanctifying life, for sustaining and perpetuating life. 
The nations of earth, outside the city, shall walk in 
its light, and may be healed by the leaves from the tree 
of life. The ultimate purpose of creation, redemption, 
justification and sanctification, is the bringing of 
many sons to glory, in the attainment of perfected 
and endless life, in a perfect fellowship with God, in 
a city of His designing and building, and upon an 
earth freed from the curse and the blight of sin. 




447 



THE FINAL TESTIMONY, INVITATION, 
WARNING, PROMISE AND BENEDICTION 

The Revelation proper ends with 22:5. The at- 
testation of Jesus as to the faithfulness and truthful- 
ness of the book, and the blessedness of those who keep 
the words of its prophecy, and that it is for the 
churches, are given in Verses 6, 7 and 16. That free- 
dom of will is allowed all men to choose whether they 
will be unrighteous, filthy, righteous or holy, is to con- 
tinue until He comes to render to every man accord- 
ing to his works, is stated in Verses 10 to 12. The 
kind of people who may enter into the city and have 
right to the tree of life, are indicated and called 
blessed in Verse 14 ; and those who are left out are 
described in Verse 15. The '^ great invitation'' fol- 
lows in Verse 17. Then follows, in Verses 18, 19 the 
awful warning to every man that hears the prophecy 
of this book, not to tamper with its words — either to 
add to them, or take from them, under terrible penal- 
ties. His final testimony is that He will come quickly 
— which may imply suddenness, rather than nearness 
in time. We all join with John in his ^^Amen: come, 
Lord Jesus." Verses 8 and 9 seem to be a repetition 
of 19 :10, which also follow a description of the Bride. 
The book ends with a benediction of grace to the 
saints. 



448 



CONCLUSIONS 

The angel who was John's guide in the visions of 
The Revelation, said he was one of those who ''hold 
the testimony of Jesus'^; and that ^^tJie testimony of 
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy^'; His testimony was, 
^^ These are true words of God'' ; and ''These words 
are faithful and true,'' He did not say that this book 
was true, in any general sense, but that the words 
were true. Seven times the words of this book are 
specified in the last 15 verses, as true, sacred words. 
This can mean nothing less than verbal inspiration. 
They are the true words of God. 

The spirit of the words of this prophecy, and of all 
Bible prophecy, is the testimony of Jesus. From be- 
ginning to end they testify of Him — as Prophet, 
Priest, and King. They indicated the signs by which 
he should have been identified at his first coming. 
Failure to discern these signs was the primary cause 
of his crucifixion. He himself gave his disciples signs 
by which we might know when He is Tiear^ even at 
the doors. 

"We must not be dogmatic, but is not the evidence 
brought forward in these lessons very strong in sup- 
port of the belief that we are now witnessing some of 
these signs? If we have correctly interpreted the 
meaning of Jesus' own words, the world is now in the 
throes of the great tribulation. Men, Christian leaders, 
are failing to recognize these signs of the nearness of 

449 



450 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

the Great Day of Jehovah. Even the Church is in 
danger of being overtaken by that day as by a thief. 
*'But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day 
should overtake yon as a thief." "We have the sure 
word of prophecy, to which we may well take heed, and 
by which we may knoiv when that day is near. 

So far as the writer is able to discover, it is by no 
means inconceivable that this earth and its atmosphere 
may be the ^^ heaven and earth" of our future abode. 
There seems to be no assurance that the saints are to 
be transported to any other planet, or to any other 
heaven than the heaven that is always associated with 
the earth in the Bible, and which is defined in Gen. 
1:7 and 8. ^^And God made the firmament (Heb. 
^'expanse^^), and divided the waters which were tender 
the firmament from the waters which were above the 
firmament : and it was so. And God called the firma- 
ment Heaven.' ' This is God's definition. 

The next verse tells of the waters under the heavens 
being gathered into seas — suggesting more than one 
heaven. In V. 20, God said: ''let birds fly above the 
earth in the open firmament of heaven.'' In most in- 
stances in the 700 times ' ' heaven ' ' is mentioned in the 
Bible, where there is any indication of locality, earth's 
atmosphere is evidently meant. To be sure, there are 
many mentions of sun, moon and stars in the heavens ; 
but more often the reference is to ''the clouds of 
heaven," "the winds of heaven," fowls, eagles, "the 
stork," and all birds as fiying in heaven; lightning, 
thunder, rain, snow and dew from heaven. God is re- 
peatedly represented as inhabiting "the heaven of 
heavens.'' 



CONCLUSIONS 451 

After the death of Jesus he was with the thief in 
Paradise; and it w^as Paradise to which Paul was 
later caught up — ''into the third heaven." This does 
not seem to correspond to ''the heaven of heavens/' 
where God dwells ; for although Jesus told the thief : 
^^ Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise/' yet three 
days later, and after his resurrection, he told Mary 
that he had not yet ascended to liis Father, Dr. Sco- 
field and others think Paradise was in Hades until the 
ascension of Christ. Possibly so, but Lazarus went to 
"Abraham's bosom"; and if the thief had gone to the 
same place, it would seem appropriate to call it by the 
same name. Was not the thief who suffered with 
Jesus the first redeemed soul to reach Paradise ? 

We are nowhere told that we are to "go to heaven" ; 
only that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against 
Christ's church. The redeemed are not to pass 
through them, but are evidently to spend the inter- 
vening time between death and resurrection in Para- 
dise, and return to earth for their resurrection bodies. 
They are then to be " caught up in the clouds to meet 
the Lord in the air/' and return to earth with him 
to reign on the earth. 

Jesus told us about the Kingdom of Heaven, not 
the Kingdom in Heaven. We are to pray ' ' Thy King- 
dom come" — not to be taken to it. "Thy will be done 
in earth as it is in heaven." It is a heavenly 
heaven-like Kingdom, on earth. We are told to lay 
up treasures in heaven, that our reward is in heaven, 
that our inheritance and citizenship are in heaven, and 
our names are w^ritten in heaven. But Jesus said: 
"Behold, / come quickly, and my reward is with me 



452 PROPHECY EXPLAINED 

to give'' — etc. We do not go to heaven to get our 
rewards, he brings them to us. The city in which we 
hope to have citizenship is ^^ coming down out of 
heaven. ' ' 

Probably all books ever written, or sermons 
preached, about heaven as our future home, were 
based principally upon the description of the New 
Jerusalem of Rev. 21 and 22. But that is a city — 
not a planet, nor a condition, nor a perfected moral 
system — but ^'a city which hath foundations'' — not 
an ethereal something, forever floating in the air — 
but a real city upon a real eartTi. Nor is it anywhere 
suggested that this city is ever to be removed from 
the earth. It is to be earth's permanent capitol and 
metropolis, with God, His Son, Jesus, and the glori- 
fied saints resident in it, and ruling the earth from it. 

Possibly we may be permitted to visit other planets, 
or make excursions to the extremes of the Universe; 
but we find nothing in the Word itself to warrant 
any assertion to that effect. 

God loves this earth. He made it. We, too, love it. 
We love its rocks and rills, its woods and emerald hills, 
its lakes, waterfalls, mountains and plains, its rivers 
and seas, its birds, its flowers, its fruits, its flshes and 
its animals; and most of all, its people — and so does 
God. With Satan, sin, sickness, sorrow and death for- 
ever gone, and Christ on earth's throne, we want to 
be here ivitJi Mm, ^^And so sliall we ever be with the 
Lord/' 

But there are many interpreters of the Word on 
these points, and we would simply say here: ^4et 
every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. ' ' 



CONCLUSIONS 453 

Why Christ should come to judge the world a thou- 
sand years after it is all converted and running peace- 
fully ; how the Church can obey Christ's injunction tb 
ivatcli for His return if He is not to return for at least 
1,000 years; how people who hold such views can call 
those pessimists who believe the struggle with sin and 
Satan may end within a generation, and Jesus be rul- 
ing the world in righteousness, all of these are unex- 
plained mysteries. However, we must give all 
Christians credit for honesty and sincerity, whether 
we see alike or not. Meanwhile let us hold fast to the 
^^ Blessed Hope'' of His glorious appearing,^ booking 
for and earnestly desiring the coming" of that day. 



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Likewise the Lords of Looseness 

That hamper faith and works, 
The perseverance-doubters, 

The present-comfort shirks, 
The little intellectuals. 

Who cracked beneath a strain — 
John Bunyan met the helpful set 

In that long-distant reign. 

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THE CHRISTIAN HERALD 
Bible House New York 



FOUR GOSPELS, HARMONIZED 

By I. G. MACFARLANE 

This work is a compilation of the Authorized Ver- 
sion of the four Gospels, and contains in one con- 
tinuous narrative, in the exact words of the original, 
all that was written by each of the evangelists, except 
what would be repetition, and without any word of 
comment or of addition to connect the parts, or 
explanation thereof. 

The name of the gospel, and the chapter and 
verse, are added where the narrative changes from 
one gospel to another ; so that the reference to the 
original is seen, without inconvenience, and the 
reader is assured, at once, that it is the very word 
of God, without change. 

It may be called summing up the evidence of the 
four witnesses who testify what they know about 
Jesus being the Christ, the Saviour of humanity. 
Imagine that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all are 
before us, and each in his turn tells us that part of 
the Wondrous Story that he knows best, in his own 
peculiar way, and without going back or forward 
on his own order. 
. I vol. cloth, i6o pages, a copy sent post-paid for jo cents, 

THEODORE ROOSEVELT aJT^neVh'^m 

By FERDINAND GOWLE IGLEHART, D.D. 

of the Editorial Staff of the Christian Herald 

"Theodore Roosevelt, The Man as I Knew Him," has 
been written by the Rev. Dr. Ferdinand C. Iglehart and is 
a book that will hold its place just as some of the books 
about Lincoln have survived as written by neighbors or as- 
sociates who knew him intimately. Dr. Iglehart — who has 
had a long career as one of the most eloquent of the Metho- 
dist preachers and as one of the leaders in the temperance 
movement — has always had a talent for politics, and through 
the whole of Roosevelt's career, the older man was a pro- 
found admirer of the younger. 

Dr. Iglehart's biography of Roosevelt is intensely personal. 
It is the kind of book that will be read with sympathy and 
pleasure by old and young in many a modest home. The 
book will be a family treasure for one reason above all 
others, namely, that its hero-worship is genuine from begin- 
ning to end. — From a full page review in the Review of 
Reviews. 

The Book is printed on fine book paper and includes i6 
pages of illustrations on plate paper. There are over 400 
pages, in ^^ chapters. The binding is fine cloth embossed 
in gold. Size 5x7^ inches. 

A copy sent post-paid for $1.50 



THE CHRISTIAN HERALD 
Bible House Xew York 



A NEW BOOK OF POEMS 

"CROSS ROADS" 

Bv Margaret E. Sangster 

This is a delightful volume of verse containing 
over 100 poems of the author, not published before 
in book form. 

It is well printed from new large type plates, and 
attractively bound with cloth back and ornamental 
sides, specially designed for gift purposes. 

A copy of this charming collection of poems will 
prove a most acceptable gift as a remembrance from 
a friend to a friend. 

The Verses are divided into Groups : 
Poems of the City Poems of Romance 

Poems of Country Poems of Home 

Expressions from a subscriber, after reading the 
manuscript of "Cross Roads." 

'Tve just finished them — these little gems you've 
chosen to call 'Cross Roads,' and I'm full to the brim 
with emotion. Your poems have stirred my soul. 
This gift of yours is mystical ; 3-0U wave a wand 
over us and we live your verses. 

'I've lived these poems in my dreams and some 
of them have taken me back to many happy moments 
in the past. I love them, each and every one of them. 

*'Many thanks, dear lady, yours is a wonderful 
gift from God." 

A copy of this charming book is sent post-paid 
for 8s cents. 



THE CHRISTL\N HERALD 
Bible House New York 



A Charming Library of Delightful Reading for the Whole Family 

35 SPLENDID STORIES AMER^.I^^N^SyT^HORs 

IN SIX HANDY CLOTH BOUND VOLUMES 

Published by arrangement with the Publishers and Owners of the Copyrights 
Messrs. Charles Scribner's Sons 

A glance at the list of authors shows names that 

are famous in American literature. The thirty-five 
stories give a selection of entertaining reading and 

in a fine cloth binding. Over looo pages of clear 

text-pages appear in this delightful collection. Many 
thousands of copies have already been sold to fill a 

demand caused by the merits of these excellent 
stories. 

CONTENTS OF THE SIX CLOTH BOUND VOLUMES. 

Vol 1— The Transferred Ghost, by Vol 4— A Light Man, by Henry 

Frank R. Stockton. A MartjT to James. Yatil, by F. D. Millet. The 

Science, by Mary Putnam Jacobi, End of New York, by Park Eenja- 

M.D. Mrs. Knollys, by J. S. cf min. Why Thomas was Discharged, 

Dale, author of "Guerndale." 'A by George Arnold. The Tachy- 

Dinner Party, by John Eddy. The pomp, by E. P. Mitchell. 
Mount of Sorrow, by Harriet Pres- 

cott Spofford. Sister Syhda, by Vol. 5 — The Bishop's Vagabond, 

Mary Agnes Tincker. by Octave Thanet. Lost, by Ed- 

Vol. 2 — The Spider's Eye, by ward Bellamy. Kirby's Coals of 
Lucretia P. Hale. A Story of the Fire, by Louise Stockton. _ Passages 
Latin Quarter, by Frances Hodgson from ttie Journal of a Social Wreck, 
Burnett. Two Purse-Companions, by Margaret Floyd. Stella Gray- 
by George Parsons Lathrop. Poor land, by James T. McKay. The 
Ogla-Moga, by Da\id D. Lloyd. A Image of San Donato, by Virginia 
Memorable Murder, by Celia Thax- W.Johnson, 
ter. Venetian Glass, by Brander 
Matthews. Vol. 6 — Marse Chan, by Thomas 

Vol. 3 — Miss Grief, by Constance Nelson Page. Mr. Bixby's Cbj-ist- 
Fenimore Woolson. Love in Old mas Visitor, by Charles S. Gage. 
Clothes, by H. C. Bunner. Two Eli, by C. H. White. Young Strong 
Buckets in a Well, by N. P. Willis. of "The Clarion," by Milicent Wash- 
Friend Barton's Concern, by Mary burn Shinn. How Old Wiggins 
Hallock Foote. An Inspired Lobby- Wore Ship, by Captain Roland T. 
ist, by J. W. DeForest. Lost in the Coffin. " — Mas Has Come," by 
Fog, by Noah Brooks. Leonard Kip. 

All of the authors included are justly famous for 
their splendid stories, and their high standing 
is unquestioned in the field of contemporaneous 
writers of fiction. 

The Christian Herald cordially recommends this 
excellent set of books to its readers feeling sure that 
it will be received with the greatest satisfaction. It 
is one of our best bargain offers, and we congratu- 
late ourselves that we were able to complete satis- 
factory negotiations with the owners of the printing 
plates and copyrights to permit us to publish this 
special edition at so low a cost to our readers. 

The six volumes, cloth hound set, sent post-paid 
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The Call of the Bells 

By EDMUND MITCHELL 



"THE CALL OF THE BELLS," by 
Edmund Mitchell, is a wonderful story 
written by a man who knows the subject 
of the story from every angle, and he has 
built about it pathos, sentiment and ro- 
mance of a quality, character and elo- 
quence such as is seldom found in books. 

The story deals with such vital national 
issues as the reconciliation of capital and 
labor, the regeneration of the idle rich, 
the reclamation of the hobo, the dignity 
of toil, the moral strength of temperance, 
and the more equitable distribution of 
wealth, comfort and happiness — these are 
among the big themes woven into the 
warp and woof of a throbbing story of 
human passions and frailties, vices and 
virtues, aspiration, struggle, and achieve- 
ment. And through all runs the golden 
thread of optimism — the triumph of love 
and brotherhood and mutual helpfulness. 

I vol., i2mo, cloth, 410 pages of large, 
clear type, A copy sent, post-paid, for 70 
cents, 

THE CHRISTL\N HERALD 
Bible House New York 



The History tSJe Great War 

IN TWO VOLUMES 

j^o Pages, Illustrated. Fine Cloth Binding, 
Embossed 

Thomas H. Russell, A.M., LL.D., the editor- 
in-chief of this thrilling history of great world 
events, has done his work in a masterly man- 
ner and received invaluable assistance from 
government official sources, not only from our 
own, but from the British, French and Cana- 
dian Governments. 

The Greatest of All Dramas unfolds itself 
in the pages of this work, so intense with the 
thrilling stories of eye-witnesses, that the 
reader gasj)s at the tremendous and startling 
spectacles caused by this war of many nations. 
Actual photographs, many of them furnished 
from the records of the Allied Governments, 
embellish the work throughout and are in 
themselves a great pictorial history. 

The second volume not only includes the report 
of the Peace Conference, and many other important 
war matters and America's part in the War from 
official sources, but has a 

NEW SERIES OF 32 PAGES OF WORLD MAPS 

IN COLOR 
SHOWING THE CHANGES IN BOUNDARIES. 

We have placed many thousands of copies of this work. 

Size of volume 6x8 inches, fine cloth and Gold Binding 



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THE CHRISTIAN HERALD 
Bible House New York 



A WONDERFUL 

NEW WORLD ATLAS 

Corrected according to the Peace Terms. The 

new boundary lines are shown in red, 

as zvell as the maps of the world in 

colors; the Atlas contains 

A Graphic Story of the Great War 

and shows the engagements of United States Soldiers 
in France 

The peace terms having defined the changes in 
boundary Hnes of the countries affected, old atlases, 
maps, and geographies are now obsolete and useless. 
All who want to be informed and to be able to dis- 
cuss intelligently the great changes made on the maps 
of the world by the war, will find it imperative to 
have a new set of corrected world maps. 

Senator Walter E. Edge of New 'Jersey: **This is 
not only interesting but also extremely valuable." 

Senator Davis Elkins of West Virginia : "This 
Atlas will prove very helpful and instructive to the 
American people." 

There are over 50 new maps in full colors, and 
corrected according to the Peace terms, and 44 pages 
of text, giving a splendid and graphic story of the 
Great War from the assassination of Arch-Duke 
Francis Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, to the signing 
of the Peace terms. A table from the War Depart- 
ment shows our total battle casualties and number 
of Distinguished Service Crosses awarded to each 
division. You will see at a glance how each division 
stood when the armistice was signed. 

We have sold over one hundred thousand of this 
valuable little book. M'e send a copy in paper cover, 
post-paid, for 20c., or bound in cloth for 40c. 



THE CHRISTIAN HERALD 
Bible House New York 



